MEDIA & SOCIETY

Princewill charged journalists for electoral standard 

 By Nwaorgu Faustinus

A chieftain of the PDP in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill has
charged journalists in Nigeria through their enterprise - reportage to
set the pace for the evolution of an electoral system in the country
where the votes of the electorates  counts.

Princewill gave the charge at the concluded 5th Triennial Delegates
conference of the NUJ held in Rivers State where some National
Officers of NUJ and Journalists from all the segments of NUJ in Rivers
State had gathered to elect their new executive.

The Prince who was in faraway Paris to attend the wedding of Linus
Idahosa and Stephanie Okereke was represented by his legal adviser,
Barr Soalabo West.

Speaking at the event, Barr West said: “Elections are very important
in democratic organisations. Essentially, it ensures that people who
lead the organisation are a choice of the led. Simple! The process
therefore must be seen to be transparent. Unfortunately this is not
the case in many elections conducted in Nigeria. Some of you here have
courageously reported these wrong practices and the ugly effects of
them on the polity.

Your about to be conducted NUJ elections should
therefore be different. We are looking up to the NUJ to set the pace
in this regard. So I implore and charge all of us here (voters, those
running for office and those saddled with the responsibility of
conducting your elections) to act right. To act according to the
agreed rules and guidelines set down for the conduct of the
elections”.

The Guest Lecturer Amaopu-Senibo Bobo-Brown a former President of the
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and erudite scholar who
spoke on the Theme of the Conference“Attaining Journalism Excellence
in a Democracy like Nigeria” told the crowd that the loss of the World
Bank Presidency by Nigeria’s Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala,was a result of the nation’s weak asset base. “Nigeria
is entering international arena with the weakest asset base, since the
nation’s independence in 1960. Okonjo-Iweala paid the price for our
weak asset base.“Okonjo-Iweala is a highly qualified professional, but
in the current international arena, you must come with very strong
asset base.
In a press statement from Chief Eze.C.Eze the image maker of Prince
Tonye stated that the election was well contested, devoid of any
acrimony and in tandem with the spirit of the day.

The following members were elected as the new Exco for the State -
Opaka Dokubo the erstwhile Chairman was re-elected as Chairman. Others
were, Ayo Tamuno, Vice Chairman, Stanley Job, Secretary, Anayo
Onukwugha, Assistant Secretary Uche Agbam, Treasurer, and Barth
Ndubuwa, Financial Secretary.

The Prince later made an undisclosed cash donation to the incoming
executive and a large collection of equipment to the Correspondents
Chapel to help assist them with running their business centre.

Mr Terve Akase, the Chairman of the Rivers State Correspondents Chapel
receiving the items donated by the Prince via his Media Chief, Chief
Eze C Eze said that the Chapel had never witnessed such a gesture and
intervention from anybody or Organisation in the State describing it
as monumental and historic assuring the Prince that his seeds and
efforts to alleviate the plight of Journalists in the State will
remain indelible in the annals of the Chapel and will never go
unrewarded.

Mr Chris Konkwo the Secretary of the Organising Committee while
delivering his vote of thanks described Prince Tonye Princewill with
the words of Booker T. Washington the former President of America, “No
man who continues to add something to the material, social and
intellectual well-being of the place in which he lives will long be
left before he is properly rewarded” urging the Prince to wait
patiently as his reward for all his good deeds to the society is at
hand.