A High Court in Owerri, the Imo State capital will today hear the matter between the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Imo State Council and Enedo General Services Limited, said to be former Governor Rochas Okorocha’s proxy that attempted to buy the multi million naira Imo NUJ Secretariat, located along Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, before the Journalists In Imo frustrated the move.
The case will hold at Court 7,by 9am.
It would be recalled that Okorocha had at one of the parleys he had with journalists towards the end of his tenure told them that he would buy their Secretariat and make all journalists in the state millionaires. This assertion did not go down well with media practitioners in the state, who rejected the offer.
According of one of the Journalists attached to the government house who pleaded anonymity for fear of being sack, said,”when Okorocha realized that his desire to buy off the secretariat was a difficult task to accomplish, he,through some of his appointees recruited Chris Akaraonye who was a willing tool and the current president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Chris Isiguzo, who was then desperately in need of money to run for the election through which he became NUJ President to enable him have his way.
It was also said that the company as part of its game plan with the culprits, deliberately instituted a case in court against Akaraonye, who they unlawfully positioned as the Chairman of the NUJ in Imo State, despite the fact that the issue about the leadership of the union in Imo State was already pending in court.
According to some respected journalists and Publishers in Imo State, “Enedo’s suit against the purported Akaraonye-led executive of the Imo NUJ, was a well calculated lot that was motivated by their desperation to sell and acquire the property respectively. This becomes very evident when you take a good work at the scenario. Why did they sue Akaraonye without joining the occupant of the secretariat as a party to the suit? That was why they were able to deceive the court to clandestinely get Judgment”.
“Meanwhile, the immediate past Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, Declan Emelumba, is alleged to have held several meetings with the NUJ President, Chris Isiguzo and Anedo General services in Abuja, where it was reportedly agreed that if the prospective buyer takes possession of the secretariat and the balance of #79 million paid, he, (Emelumba) will be given a substantial amount of the money. Hence, he keyed in and started mobilizing support for Chris Akaraonye, who he knows is not a journalist but a photographer who retired from the Ministry of Information on Salary Grade Level 08. Emelumba has also extended the same support to a group of charlatans parading themselves as leaders of the union in the state without the support and approval of members of the union who are aggrieved about the plot to sell their Secretariat”.
Commenting on the development, the Secretary of the NUJ in Imo State, Comrade Ori Martins urged those who did not believe that there was a plot by some unscrupulous elements to sell the Imo NUJ Secretariat to come to court today to observe the proceedings ,adding that the union will leave no stone unturned in its determination to scuttle the criminal and ill-conceived plot hatched by some selfish and misguided individuals to enrich themselves at the expense of Imo journalists.
