By John Ugo, Awka
The Anambra State Government on Thursday commended Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu on his emergence as the newly elected chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Anambra State Council and other executive members of the union.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C. Don Adinuba, made available to newsmen in Awka, lauded the new NUJ leadership in the state for the quality of members in the new committee.
Adinuba noted that this is the first time a doctoral degree holder as been elected to run the NUJ in the state since its creation in August, 1991.”l
He said “Dr Odogwu is a scholar who lectures in mass communication in the university and serves as news correspondent, in addition.”
A“With Anambra State moving in a new direction in its development from next month when Professor Chukwuma Soludo, an internationally recognized economist and a former Central Bank governor who reformed the country’s financial system, will assume office as the state chief executive, the new administration needs technocrats like Dr Odogwu in various areas of the state who will help him drive the rapid progress of the state.”
The state government pointed out that the era of adversarial journalism “is over, just as the days of ‘publish and be damned’.
“Both the government and the media need to be on the same page of development in the overriding interest of society.” He said
The commissioner commended the camaraderie which marked the electioneering campaign of the NUJ election and it’s outcome.
“Both those who won the highly competitive election and those who didn’t hugged one another once the results were announced, promising to work together as brothers and sisters”, he added.
Adinuba advised Nigerian politicians to borrow a leaf from journalists in Anambra State in electioneering campaigns and avoid politics of “do or die”.
