The immediate past National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Chief Dr Chris Isiguzo MFR, has been honoured by journalists from South East (Zone C) with The Lifetime Achievement Award during a Homecoming held in his honour at the Enugu Council Press Centre last Saturday.
Vice President of NUJ, South East, Comrades Ezenwa Adiuku, while fielding questions from newsmen at event said NUJ Zone C (South East) decided to celebrate Isiguzo for his outstanding qualities in leadership during his time as the National President.
“To the glory of God, we all have gathered here today to celebrate our own. To celebrate a man who has made our profession, our Union and the South East in particular very proud.
“We are here to celebrate a quintessential professional -Chief Dr Chris Isiguzo MFR, FNUJ, the immediate past National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ.
“To many, especially, those outside the South East, Chief Dr Chris Isiguzo, was the National President of the NUJ. He may also mean many things to many people. But to us in the South East, he is a pathfinder, a trailblazer, a mentor, a leader and an encouragement rolled into one”, Adiuku stated.
According to the Vice President, Isiguzo ensured that NUJ in the South East plays a major and strategic role in the Union, adding that the emeritus President made it possible for the NUJ leadership in the five South East states to speak with one voice.
In his remarks, Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Uche Anichukwu, the SSA to Enugu State Governor on External Media Relations, while reacting to the issue of leadership, said that leadership recruitment was very important in a democracy, adding that, “the people we vote into power will determine our future”.
He advised that to ensure quality leadership, people must shun vote selling and buying and to vote conscientiously.
“Leadership recruitment is very, very important in a democracy. The people we vote into power will determine our future. If we want quality leadership, vote buying must stop. If there are no vote sellers, there will be no vote buyers,” he said.
Anichukwu admonished and called on the media to educate the people on their civic rights and to shun selling their voting rights, noting that Enugu State made the right choice in recruiting Gov. Peter Mbah in 2023, which is why he has performed creditably in many ramifications.
The National President of NUJ, Comrade Alhassan Yahya, expressed joy that the Union at the Zonal level, in giving such befitting honour to Isiguzo, adding that he is the first sitting President of the NUJ to honour an immediate past president when he honoured Isiguzo sometime earlier in the year at Abuja.
While thanking Adiuku and the leadership of the Union in the South East for the positive steps already taken to reposition the NUJ, he lauded the Ogbuka -led executive in Enugu, expressing confidence that it would reposition NUJ in the Council and equally urged members to support the new executive to succeed.
In his response, Chief Dr Chris Isiguzo, was full of gratitude to the NUJ zonal leadership for the honour and accolades.
He prayed that all the people that worked behind the success of the event will be honoured themselves by others.
Isiguzo while reacting to questions from reporters highlighted some of his administration ‘s achievements which cut across registration of members, building of NUJ website, restoration of peace across state councils, building of cordial relationship between the NUJ and state governments, training, and payment of staff among others.
The newly inaugurates Chairman of NUJ, Enugu State Council, Comrade Obinna Ogbuka, appealed to all and sundry to assist NUJ which he said is facing a lot of challenges.
According to him, some quacks have entered into journalism to rock the boat, appealing that the Union needs assistance to checkmate quackery in the profession.
In a paper presented at the homecoming, Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, attributed the increasing poverty index in Nigeria to the wrong choice of leaders, who, according to him, may have emerged through manipulation or violence.
The UNN boss, represented at the occasion by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Olaiwola Usman, spoke on the theme, “Leadership Recruitment Amid Challenges of Poverty: The Role of the Media.”
He spoke just as findings by experts from a recent multidimensional poverty study across six states, representing Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, revealed alarming trends stemming from ongoing poverty crises in Nigeria.
According to the vice chancellor, the growth, development and stability of any nation depended on the quality of its leaders.
Ortuanya added that good leadership was pivotal to the development of any nation, hence the need for proper recruitment of quality leadership to drive growth and development of any nation.
High point of the event was the presentation of the NUJ South East Zonal Lifetime Achievement Award portrait to Chief Dr Isiguzo by the National President, Comrades Yahya.
Also, presentations were made by the leadership of NUJ as well as Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Enugu Council.
