By Emmanuel Ikechukwu-Jonathan, JP.
Award-winning poet, Chijioke Amu-Nnadi, has been elected Chairman of Nsukka Journalists Foundation for the next three years.
Amu-Nnadi who polled 51 votes beat Prof. Nick Idoko with 2 votes. Amaka Ukwuaba of NTA emerged as the Vice Chairman of the foundation.
The election was part of programmes of the foundation’s 2020 Annual Convention, held last Friday at Jerry Marriot Hotel, Nsukka. The Convention was attended by members from various media organizations across the country.
The elections, which were orderly and peaceful, witnessed the emergence of Brendan Eze as Secretary, Francis Ede as Treasurer, Emmanuel Ikechukwu-Jonathan of NAN as Public Relations Officer and Bruno Chijioke Aruma as Financial Secretary. Others are Ikechukwu Odu as Provost, Ositadima Ugwu of AIT as director of socials and Agatha Agu of Radio Nigeria as assistant secretary.
The foundation also unanimously appointed Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State as its grand patron, citing his “unwavering commitment to building the foundation and developing Nsukka cultural zone and entire Enugu State.”
In his acceptance speech, Amu-Nnadi commended the members of NJF for finding him and other members of the executive committee worthy to pilot the affairs of the foundation.
He said: “Today, by the grace of God, we have elected a new leadership to actualize our vision of building a new pathway to a better foundation and a better Nsukka, for ourselves and our people.
“We promise to make our affairs and transparent. You will know what is coming in and what is going out. We are going to ensure that every member of this foundation is effectively carried along. We can use NJF to attract a lot of development to our people and to our cultural zone.”
The Chairman also thanked Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his support to NJF and for bringing peace and security to Enugu State, promising that his administration “will continue to reach out to the governor and chairmen of different local government councils in Nsukka cultural zone, in order to point government to areas of development needed in Nsukka.”
The spokesman of the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emeka Attamah, stated that the foundation has come to stay, adding that all that transpired before and after the election were indications that the foundation was making progress.
Attamah said: “I don’t believe in sectionalism. If you do wrong, I will say it to you. I want the present executive committee to reach out to our brothers who couldn’t make it to this convention due to one thing or the other.
“I have read virtually everybody’s post and I am sure that we are a great people. Therefore, I advise us to think very well before we write and think before we post anything on our WhatsApp platform.”
Also speaking, Obioma Ogili, who stepped down her ambition for the office of the Vice Chairman of the foundation, thanked all the members for the peace of mind and manner with which the election was conducted.
Ogili however urged members of the foundation not to go back to Egypt and pleaded for tolerance as leaders, adding: “Let us tone down some of our excesses. It is our duty to work for the progress and welfare of Nsukka zone. Nsukka is known for love, therefore let us as members support the new executives.”
Chief Harrison Ogara, who served as first vice chairman of the foundation, said that the power of NJF lies with the members, noting that “if the new executive committee fails to render quality and people oriented service, we will take back our mandate from them.”
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Anambra state, James Eze, urged the executive committee to work towards the actualization of the objectives of the Nsukka Journalists Foundation, maintaining that “whatever that transpired during and after the elections should not be allowed to drag the foundation backward.”
The Chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees, Ike Abonyi, who is also the media adviser to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, blamed the challenges experienced by the foundation on the members. He said: “We are all liable to whatever good or bad that has happened to this foundation and the only thing required of us now is to come together to move this noble foundation forward.”
He urged the electoral committee to print all the manifestoes of the different executive committee members and file it so that it will be a reference material to keep the eyes of the executive committee on their duties to the NJF.
Others who also gave their words of advice included the immediate past Executive Chairman of Igbo-Etiti LGA, Mr. Mallachy Agbo, and former managing director of Leadership newspaper and prolific writer, Aniebo Nwamu.
The high point of the convention was the inauguration of the new executive committee by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Ike Abonyi and a cultural performance by Ikorodo Orba-Nsukka.