Ogona Anita
Journalists in the Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists have decried the continued deliberate non-invitation to government activities in the state.
Confirming the development, Chairman of the council, Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, said the present administration has not invited the council to any of its programmes let alone the governor’s one year anniversary, where he is billed to present the scorecard of his stewardship to Ndi-Anambra.
Odogwu said there was no formal invitation given to the council even with its pivotal role as the fourth estate of the realm whose inevitable role is to ensure good and equitable governance for all and sundry.
On his part, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ in Anambra state, Mr. Chuks Ilozue, corroborated what the NUJ chairman said, saying that the current state government does not carry journalists along in her activities.
Ilozue who forwarded a message he sent to the Commissioner for Information Mr. Paul Nwosu on the need to factor journalists in during the governor’s one year anniversary and other programmes, lamented that all his efforts to get the government spokesman to recognise correspondents in the state proved unsuccessful as the Information Commissioner was not forthcoming.
He also said that the Correspondents’ Chapel didn’t get a formal invitation to witness Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s one year scorecard presentation at the International Convention Center Awka, the Anambra state capital.
The message sent to the Information Commissioner on 2nd March, 2023 as forwarded by the Correspondents’ Chapel chairman reads, ” Goodevening Hon. Commissioner, I called you on Tuesday to remind you to factor Correspondents’ Chapel as you promised in arrangements for Governor’s one year anniversary. Kind regards.”
Meanwhile the governor’s press secretary Mr. Christian Aburime, when contacted to respond to why journalists were not officially invited to Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s one year anniversary on Saturday 25th March, 2023 said there was no formal invitation given to the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
Aburime explained that invitations were informal and that the governor’s one year anniversary was widely publicized for Ndi-Anambra to attend, adding that announcements were equally placed on various WhatsApp group platforms and other social media handles.
That the International Convention Centre was filled to the brim as people from all walks of life attended from far and near and listened with avid attentiveness to the governor’s mind-blowing testimonials of monumental achievements in the last one year
BY RAYMOND OZOJI, Awka
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