Landlord to evict Abia NUJ from temporary secretariat over rent

There are indications that the Abia State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) will soon be evicted from its temporary secretariat on No. 1 Aba Road, Umuahia, the state capital.

This is due to the inability of the council to pay its rent on its temporary office at No. 1 Aba Road, Umuahia.

Disclosing this during the council’s monthly congress recently, the state chairman, Mr. John Emejor, said the state government had withdrawn its usual disposition towards the council with a warning that it would no longer pay rent for the NUJ secretariat.

Briefing members of the council on the development, Emejor said that it has gone to the extent that even the Permanent Secretary, Government House, Mr. Onyii Wamah, informed him that the state government resolved it would no longer pay rent for unions and associations in the state, including the NUJ.

He said that in view of the dilemma faced by the union, the executive committee met and decided to initiate bold measures toward building its own permanent secretariat, stating that in order to realise the project, members of the council would make financial contributions, while also soliciting assistance from friends of the council.

This is why we decided to take the bull by the horn by making personal sacrifices to build our own secretariat.

We can do it. It is not impossible and I am optimistic that it can be realised within four months,” he said.

This decision received overwhelming support from members of the council, who decided to take their fate in their hands.

Various speakers at the congress described government’s decision to withdraw its assistance from the council as a challenge to the council, expressing their readiness to contribute their quota to ensure the timely completion of the project before the expiration of the current rent.

The members expressed the need for the council to vacate the temporary accommodation on or before the end of November to avoid any embarrassment by the landlord.
Reports indicate that NUJ had since its inception in 1993 enjoyed robust relationship and support from the state government, especially in the payment of rent for its secretariat.
The last administration of Chief Theodore Orji started the construction of a permanent secretariat for the NUJ in 2011 but the project was abandoned at the lintel level.