Adamawa: Dedan, Dankano, Aliyuda for NUJ Chair, government has no candidate
Adamu Muhammad Dodo
Journalists in Adamawa are called to poll, Saturday to decide the next executive members that would coordinate and control the machinery of their chapter union; the Nigerian Union of Journalists NUJ.
Three contestants made it to the screening for the chairmanship position of the union; Ishaka Donald Dedan of Adamawa Broadcasting Corporation ABC Yola, Umar Dankano of Peoples Daily and Kate Mercy Aliyuda of Adamawa Television Corporation ATV Yola.
It is observed, by members, as electorates, to be a Titanic contest currently going on at the NUJ Secretariat in Yola, the state capital.
The Contestants:
UMAR DANKANO
Umar Dankano held the chairmanship of the correspondents’ Chapel Adamawa chapter, he is currently in acting capacity as the chairman of NUJ Adamawa State, for holding the position of the vice chairman
Even though, he was accused by the members of correspondents’ chapel of financial indiscipline, which led to his suspension pending investigation, the NUJ as a body both at the state and national levels, have not however found anything substantiative to suggest Dankano as being guilty of the alleged financial misconduct said to be born out of miscommunication.
“It’s simply a libel labelled against me, mischievously to frustrate me from joining the contest. If I were found wanting, neither the NUJ would be inviting me for a national programme as acting chairman nor the electoral umpire would clear me as being legitimate for the contest.” Dankano told the Periscope crime scene reporter some weeks previously.
Dankano said his manifesto was tied to the Philosophy of continuity with a view to consolidating previous achievements.
“We don’t mortgage our strength, which lies in our unity. We have succeeded in cementing the bodies ought to be one but got disintegrated; referring to the correspondents’ chapel and the federated union. They are now collapsed into an entity.
“We’ve gone into collaborations with different bodies, nationally and internationally, to be able to have our members continuously drilled with new media skills, to enhance professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness.
“We have been, for many decades, operating in a Secretariat without acquiring Certificate of Occupancy CFO. Having realised that we could only engage collaborators with the intention to give the Secretariat a beffiting facelift when we secured a CFO, we assiduously worked on that.
“The list of achievements is interestingly endless and should be continuous. You can’t get a blind man lacking the instinctive compass for a guide; for designing the path, laying the foundation, there should be continuity to its accomplishment,” Dankano told the Periscope political desk.
KATE MERCY ALIYUDA
The former chapter chairman National Association of Women Journalists NAWOJ Adamawa state, Kate Mercy Aliyuda is said to be an achievement personified beyond the Panasonic plasma screen used in visualising her while casting news.
Even though, some members conceived that the chairmanship of the union should be rotational just like the Nigeria’s politics, kate has a case carefully crafted.
Comrade Salisu Abubakar the former chairman who has moved to the national body leaving the vice chairman to take over at the state level, is a staff of the same media station with Kate Aliyuda.
However, Kate supporters said that this time, gender, in the zoning formal should also be given a grace for mercy.
During her tenure as NAWOJ chairperson, the union related well with the traditional authorities in the state such that HRH the Lamido Adamawa donated a brand new Sharron bus for the Secretariat.
Kate equally engaged philanthropists into investing to the progress and development of the union; one striking example is the Building of NAWOJ office block within NUJ Secretariat.
Kate Aliyuda, like every NAWOJ activist, has the mission to cleanse the union of alleged questionable integrity, greed, selfishness and quackery.
Aliyuda conceived that the NUJ Secretariat is rusted and the tetanus resulting from, has infected the dignity in and the practice of journalism.
“Something urgent must be done to get the noble profession out of the tumble, bottleneck maze. You can be sure that I’m the answer,” Aliyuda said.
“If she wins, Aliyuda will the first female to become NUJ chairman in Adamawa state,” NUJ member revealed to the Periscope political desk.
ISHAKA DONALD DEDAN
The youngest of the contestants, Ishaka Donald Dedan is the only trained and certified persuasive communicator, public speaker and event manager added to his journalism practice.
ABC Yola, his constituency has found their darling Dedan worthy of the leadership responsibility with an excused rather than accused integrity.
Dedan told the Periscope political desk that his manifesto was all about restoration of moral sensibility in the practice of ethical journalism; the question of professionalism against quackery, integrity and transparency against indiscipline of whatever form tied to corruption.
“We ask ourselves why are the so-called Journalists reduced to the insult of being beggarly, isn’t it so demeaning?
“Why are the media organizations poorly funded, isn’t it so demoralising?
“Why does the NUJ Secretariat as you are seeing it now, looking like a ruined cottage, isn’t it so disheartening, so disappointing?
“Where is the unity of the union when leadership cannot stand in defence of the short-changed members, isn’t it so disenchanting?
“These are the unanswered questions that triggered those who nominated me to insist I must contest for having the answers.
“However, I suspect a foul play today. But let me assure my sincere supporters and every to vote eligible member that the Adamawa state government has no particular candidate, it remains neutral in this election,” Dedan told the Periscope political desk.
Some of the NUJ members spoken to, revealed to the Periscope political desk that there was ugly campaign intended to blackened the governor by claiming that he has interest on a particular candidate.
“Everyone knows that governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri is a liberal democrat with the air about populist and participatory governance against any censorship. He is proven to be media friendly and will not interfere in NUJ politics by enforcing a candidate.
“It’s unfortunate that some antagonistic actors within us, taking undue advantage of being close to His Excellency, are threatening our members to vote for a candidate that they claimed is the governor endorsed, failing which the state government will not support NUJ activities.
“I dare say that this is a libel for a proposition against the personality and office of His Excellency. People should vote based on their conscience and the credibility, capacity, capability and competence of their candidates.
“Governor Fintiri, adopting the Obama slogan, is for everybody and for nobody,” A stakeholder revealed to the Periscope political desk.