By Dele Atunbi
My dear noble colleagues
Following the inauguration of the Credentials Committee for the 2024 Triennial Delegates Conference, as a formidable aspirant for the office of the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), I have taken it upon myself to maintain a social contract with journalists across the country.
While I am yet to reel out my manifesto since the Credential Committee is yet to lift the ban on campaigns, I intend to continue this engagement as part of my nationwide consultation with all journalists across the country.
I am aware that as media practitioners, every registered journalist in Nigeria is a bona fide and major stakeholder in the NUJ, hence this engagement is part of the deliberate and conscious move aimed at rescuing the NUJ and restoring its lost glory in tandem with the vision and mission of its founding fathers.
Permit me to posit that in line with the Constitution of our Union which was approved by the Registrar of Trade Unions on 30th day of May, 2024, the NUJ has 9 lofty intendments tailored towards the uplift of members for the good of the society.
One of the intendments as enshrined in our grundnorm is to encourage and organise adequate training and education of members.
This is meant to promote proficiency and professionalism on the job.
It is in the light of this that I DELE ATUNBI, Esq. promise to ensure adequate training and retraining for members of the NUJ.
This noble move is in accordance with my vision and believe in the school of thought that recognises that your input determines your output with the proviso, that you cannot give what you don’t have.
In the development of the training modules for media practitioners under my watch by the grace of God and your popular votes as President, the National Secretariat will also cater for the needs of members covering specialized beats.This will be achieved through collaboration with development partners and other stakeholders in the Nigerian project.
Apart from training within the country, the National Secretariat will also seek the assistance of embassies in the country for short-term courses on journalism in their various countries.
The new horizon will give the Nigerian journalists the opportunities to compare and contrast how journalism is practised in other jurisdictions.
Finally, let me assert that giving premium to training and retraining of members of the NUJ is not rocket science but, a delibrate attempt in the proper harnessing of the union’s resources for the good of the greater members of the NUJ.
AS A TEAM PLAYER, DELE ATUNBI IS COMMITTED TO RETOOLING THE NUJ FOR GREATER IMPACT AND INFLUENCE.
ALUTA CONTINUA
VICTORIA ASCERTA
