Deplorable secretariat : NUJ hold activities under tree in Nasarawa …decries govt. failure to redeem promises …Offers special prayers for God intervention

By David Okpashi

The Nasarawa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has been forced out of it’s secretariat due to threat of collapse of the building hosting the union.

This is even as the union has decried the inability of the state government to redeem it’s N20 million naira promised the council to enable it renovate the collapse threatning the secretary.

The council attributed the life threatning situation of the press centre to the government perceived refusal to redeem the pledge of N20 million announced by the state government, Eng.

The state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Nasarawa chapter, comrade Salihu Alkali who spoke during the union Congress meeting in Lafia Tuesday decried the imminent collapse of the state secretariat building along Makurdi road, Lafia.

Alkali said that the roof of the state secretariat building is in its last stage of collapse, called on members to put the interest of the state, country first in their reportage as the general elections approached.

“I have to cry out to well meaning Nigerians to assist us before we become the next victims of building collapse. Governor Abdullah Sule promised to fix the roof at it’s verge of collapse when he paid us a courtesy visit last year, but since then all efforts to remind HE has continued to fall on deaf ears”.

” We will not use this building again until the roof is fix to avoid it’s collapse on us. I do not want my members to be victims of building collapse in the state. We will announce the venue of our next meeting, but for now we will continue to seat under the tree for our meeting s”, Alkali lamented.

While, appealing to the state governor to ensure the safety and protection of the NUJ members especially during the forth coming elections, Alkali commended Journalists in the state for their resilience, commitment to developmental journalism practice, urged journalists to continue to toe the part of progress in Nasarawa State.

It would be recalled that the NUJ in Nasarawa State also held prayers for God’s intervention in the nation’s politics, peace as well as the forthcoming general elections in the country.