News

BREAKING: NUJ FCT Council Chairman, Comrade Osadebamwen Impeached

Published

2 hours ago

October 19, 2024

Members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council have impeaced the Chairman, Comrade Patrick Osadebamwen.

This followed a botched Congress of the NUJ FCT Council held on Saturday, October 19th, to set up a credentials committee meant to oversee the election of officials for the Council in December.

Confusion started midway into the Congress, following accusation of biase levelled against Mr Osadebamwen. Osadebamwen was also accused of having flouted provisions of the NUJ Constitution in the nomination process.

At the time of filing this report, the Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council and members of his executive have been impeached after signatures were gathered for the impeachment notice.

It was gathered that the State Executive Council (SEC), made up of Chairmen of all the Chapels in NUJ FCT Council, has taken over the activities of the Council going forward.

Meanwhile, some elders of the Council, led by Elder Timothy Oloruntoba Elerewe, former Chairman of FCT Correspondents Chapel and the secretary the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Iyobosa Ewugiaren made efforts to calm the situation to ensure due process was followed but proved abortive.

Details later…

News

NUJ FCT Council Osadebamwe-led EXCO Impeached

Published

32 mins ago

October 19, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

…as congress accuse chairman of high-handedness during nomination of Credential Committee

By Gloria Ikibah

Members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Terpritory (FCT) Council have impeached the Council Chairman, Patrick Osadebamwe and his Executive Council (EXCO).

The aggrieved Journalists cutting accros various Chapels in the nation’s capital unanimously resolved to sign impeachment notice during the heated Congress held at Council’s Secretariat located in Utako District of Abuja on Saturday.

Naijablitznews.com recalled that before the commencement of the nomination exercise, Comrade Henry Umoru, an editor with Vanguard Newspapers had drawn the attention of the embattled Chairman to the exclusion of the Nomination Committee on the draft agenda drawn in the minute of the last Congress.

In his response, Comrade Osadebamwe admitted that the decision was deliberate with a view to ascertain the importance of the forthcoming elections, the amended agenda was thereafter adopted.

Trouble started when Comrade Osadebamwe-led EXCO called a set of members allegedly from the camp of his ally to nominate members of the Credentials Committee for the upcoming Council’s Election on the 4th December, 2024.

But overwhelming members in attendance in their numbers protested against the lopsidedness in the choice of the nominees who were allegedly known to be his loyalists.

Aroused by the unethical and unprofessional actions and inactions of the Patrick Osadebamwe-led Exco, some of the members believed to be loyal to him and his EXCO advised him to nominate members of the credentials committee, which many suspected was staged managed.

All pleas and protests by the Congress, rejecting the nominations, fell on deaf ears just as their insistence to subjects those nominated to voting was rejected by the EXCO.

According to members, the impeached EXCO had met with select members on the directives of the former chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbeche who is an Aide to Governor Bassey Otu of Cross Rivers State to pre-select the credentials committees.

Some Congress members further alleged that the embattled ex-chairman, his EXCO, and their loyalists met at a Garden in Utako, and planned the grand imposition, which met stiff resistance.

According to some members of the union, Ogbeche has a candidate for the election and instructed his successor and erstwhile subordinate, Osadebamwen, to put in place all modalities for his “anointed” candidate to win by all means.

The former FCT Council Chairman, Ogbeche, had boasted that his principal, Governor Otu, was interested in the election and directed to support a particular candidate.

The refusal of Osadebamwe-led EXCO to yield to demand of the Congress led to a commotion in the hall with the chanting “We no go gree o, we no go gree’, ‘we move for impeachment you can’t dictate to us!” while there were smashing of chairs and almost exchange of blows.

Those nominated were Emeka Nze, Blueprint, Francisca Udoh ITV, and Godfrey Okon of Abuja Inquirer.

Consequently, the erstwhile chairman and his EXCO whom most members described as ‘unpopular’ called armed police personnel to chase out the protesting members, but upon arrival, members chanted ‘No Police! No Police!’ and the charged atmosphere made the operatives to leave the venue of the Congress.

While the drama ensued, signatures were collected with more than 178 out of 255 two-thirds of the Congress signing for the impeachment of the Osadebamwe-led EXCO.

Some members leading the impeachment process called on NUJ National Leadership to ensure the ratification of the sack of the FCT Council EXCO and appoint a caretaker committee.

Meanwhile, Chapel Chairmen after normalcy returned, resolved to take over the affairs of the FCT Council pending when the National Secretariat of the Union will set up a Caretaker Committee.

News

Jigawa Gov Suspends Commissiner nabbed by Hisbah for commiting adultery

Published

46 mins ago

October 19, 2024

Austin Ojomah

Governor Malam Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has suspended the Commissioner for Special Duties, Auwalu Sankara.

Naijablitznews reports that the suspension is to allow an investigation into allegations made by the Kano State Hisbah.

This was made known in a statement on Saturday signed by Malam Bala Ibrahim, Secretary to the Government of Jigawa State.

The state government said that the suspension was to allow for a thorough investigation to ensure transparency and maintain the integrity of the state administration.

Recall that the Kano State Hisbah Board arrested Sankara in an uncompleted building with a married woman.

Hisbah, known as the Sharia police, made the announcement following intelligence tracking and a series of complaints received about Sankara’s alleged misconduct.

Abba Sufi, the Director General of the Hisbah Board, confirmed the arrest, stating, “Yes, it is true we have arrested Auwal Danladi Sankara with a married woman in an uncompleted building. Unknown to him, we were tracking him based on reports we received against him.”

The allegations surfaced after Nasiru Bulama, the husband of the married woman, lodged complaints with multiple authorities, including the Kano State Police Command and the Department of State Services (DSS).

Bulama accused Sankara of engaging in illicit sexual activities with his wife, who is also the mother of his two children.

But the commissioner in a statement issued on Friday night, denied the allegations, describing them as false, baseless, and malicious.

News

BREAKING! After 6th collapse, TCN restores national grid

Published

47 mins ago

October 19, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN attributes the temporary disturbance on the National grid witnessed earlier in the day to explosion at a transformer in Jebba transmission substation

TCN says engineers responded swiftly and activated the protection system which promptly opened the busbars to curtail the explosion, thereby preventing outbreak of fire and further damage to adjacent equipment.