Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has congratulated newly elected executives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in Borno State.
The executives were elected on Saturday at the council’s triennial delegates conference, which took place at the Musa Usman Secretariat in Maiduguri.
Zulum’s congratulatory message was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesperson, Malam Isa Gusau.
The Governor specifically congratulated the new chairman of the NUJ in Borno State, Comrade Dauda Iliya of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN.
Zulum also congratulated AbdulKareem Haruna, publisher of Humanitarian Times who was elected Vice Chairman as well as Ali Chiroma of Peace FM, Maiduguri, elected Secretary of the Council.
The Governor commended the outgoing chairman, Babagana Bukar for his display of maturity in conceding defeat and for leading the council to the conduct of a free and fair election.
He also commended Mr Timothy Butu and Mrs Fatima Mustapha both of the Borno State Ministry of Information Chapel for their sportsmanship in the respective contests for offices of Vice Chairman and Secretary.
Zulum congratulated other executives elected unopposed, who included Hauwa Bata of Peace FM- Treasurer, Iya Maaji of NTA- Assistant Secretary, Babagana Ali of Borno Radio and Television, BRTV- Financial Secretary and Babagana Liman of the Borno state Ministry of Information Chapel- Auditor.
Governor Zulum specially praised journalists in Borno State for the very high standard they were able to set by holding very peaceful and issue-based campaigns with climax being a qualitative election that should be learned from the NUJ.
Zulum commended visiting officials from the northeast zonal headquarters of the NUJ who supervised the election.
The Governor directed his media aides to accord maximum support to the incoming state executives of the NUJ particularly on sustaining the existing atmosphere in which journalists freely and independently operate, and on ensuring access to information, in addition to matters of journalists’ welfare, training and retraining as may be required by the NUJ, should they seek Government’s support.
The statement recalled that in the build up to the election, Governor Zulum had played fatherly role by supporting the NUJ with funds for the election and by refusing to endorse any of the contestants, rather, the Governor declared all aspirants and their supporters as his own, without preference.
Meanwhile, Governor Zulum, the statement added, has directed his media aides to ensure the actualization of an election coverage training with certificates of participation for 100 journalists under the Borno NUJ, through a collaboration between the press unit of the Government House in Maiduguri and the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Maiduguri.