With the successful completion of the recent biomentrics capturing and membership verification by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, which placed the total number of registered journalists in the state at 499, the NUJ clearly made a bold statement on her sanitization.
The position of the Union is clear, henceforth, only registered journalists will be eligible to benefit from the rights and privileges accrued the Union, including insurance against the hazards of the profession, as well as, liable for disciplinary actions when necessary in accordance with the constitution of the Union. The chairman of the Union, Comrade Amos Etuk is only a mechanism for the enforcement of this position.
Mr. Etuk has the strong backing of members of the Union in this new drive to sanitize the Union. To this end, ANYONE wishing to go up against the NUJ chairman for enforcing the position of the Union, must know that he or she is going up against the entire Union. Just like the just concluded elections, Amos Etuk has the unflinching support of the majority.
The Union is big enough to accommodate all registered members. It is therefore incumbent on anyone wishing to be a member of the Union to get the requisite qualifications. NUJ is a professional body and must fully assume that status.
Welcome to the new NUJ.