The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council, held its monthly congress on Thursday, 7th February, 2019 at its temporary Secretariat, Labour House, Asaba. The well attended congress deliberated on sundry issues affecting the welfare of its members, professional practice and the state of Delta and the nation, among others. As part of decisions made, the congress came up with the following as a communiqué where the following resolutions were reached.   

Politicians at both national and state levels have been admonished to be mindful of their utterances in order not to pass the wrong messages to their followers and further heat up the polity.

The call is contained in a seven-point communiqué issued by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council, at its monthly congress held last Thursday, February 7, 2019 in Asaba.

The NUJ said the call had become necessary in view of the preponderance at which some people react in line with the body language and utterances of their political leaders to cause mayhem and unleash hardship on innocent citizens.

The NUJ in the communiqué signed by the Council Chairman, Michael Ikeogwu and Secretary, Churchill Oyowe, condemned in strong term, the political violence which it said had resulted in killings in Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area of the state and disturbances of peaceful coexistence in places such as Abraka and Ughelli.

The union called on political leaders to always have their followers in check to nip in the bud any act that might cause breakdown of law and order or endanger lives and properties.

The congress also called on both politicians and the electorate to shun and discourage any act of vote buying in order to ensure free, fair and transparent election, expressing the belief that such would bring about electing credible leaders that would not mortgage the dividends of democracy.

It also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be an unbiased umpire and intensify voters’ education and availability of permanent voters cards (PVCs) to enable the electorate exercise their franchise and make the electoral process credible.

While charging security agencies to live up to their responsibilities by ensuring fair play and neutrality before, during and after the general elections, the congress emphasized the need for security agencies to be civil and eschew overzealous tendencies in their dealings with journalist and election observers, even as its charged journalists and election observers to be professional in carryingout their responsibility.

The union called on the Delta State Government to as a matter of urgency, address the challenges  of reckless parking of articulated vehicles along Umunede and Ubolo-Okiti axis of the Benin/Asaba Express Road, NPA Express Way, Warri and the Sapele/Oghara axis of the Warri/Sapel/Benin Express Road explaining that they posed serious threat to life.