NUJ Lagos Council: Adewale Akodu Emerges As Chairman
A Director in the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Adewale Akodu, has emerged as the new Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Lagos State Council.
Akodu defeated his opponent, Innocent Anaba of the Vanguard Chapel, by 465 votes to 21 in an election held on Monday. He succeeds Adeleye Ajayi.
A total of 492 votes were cast out of 813 registered voters, with 486 declared valid and six rejected.
Philip Nwosu of The Sun Chapel was re-elected Vice-Chairman unopposed. Other officials elected unopposed were Olayide Awosanya as Secretary who succeeds Tunde Olalere; Adegboyega Oni, Assistant Secretary; Adeola Akindele, Treasurer; Oluwakemi Ishola, Financial Secretary and Lydia Igbaroola, as Auditor.
The election was conducted by an Electoral Committee chaired by Wahab Akinlade of the Radio Nigeria Chapel, while the results were announced by the Returning Officer and NUJ Vice President, Zone B, South-West, Ronke Afebioye Samo.
The NUJ National President, Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi, was represented at the ceremony by the Deputy National President, Dr Abimbola Oyetunde.
Speaking at his inauguration at the NUJ Lagos State Council Secretariat on 22, Iyalla Street, Alausa, Ikeja, Akodu said his administration would be anchored on three pillars: welfarism, professionalism and capacity building. He pledged to implement the 10-point agenda on which he campaigned, with initiatives aimed at improving journalists’ working conditions, promoting professional development and strengthening ethical journalism.
Akodu said his administration would intensify engagement with media owners and employers to secure regular and timely salary payments, better remuneration and improved working conditions, while also defending journalists against threats to their rights and professional integrity.
He promised an inclusive and transparent administration in which every member would enjoy equal recognition and opportunities to contribute, irrespective of chapel affiliation. He added that the council would operate an open-door policy, encourage constructive criticism and ensure meaningful participation in decision-making.
The new chairman also pledged to strengthen relations with the NUJ National Secretariat, sister state councils and individual chapels, and to pursue partnerships with relevant institutions and stakeholders.
Appealing for unity after the election, Akodu urged his opponent and members who supported opposing camps to put their differences aside and join hands with the new leadership.
“An election should never be allowed to destroy the bond of brotherhood that unites us as members of one professional family. The campaign is over; the task of building a stronger Union has just begun,” he said.
He called on union elders, past leaders, senior colleagues, chapel executives and young journalists to contribute their experience and ideas to the success of the administration, describing his emergence as a call to service rather than a personal triumph.
In his remarks, the NUJ National President urged the newly elected executive to be accommodating and run an inclusive administration that would carry every member along. He also commended the immediate past leadership for its service to the union.
Dignitaries at the ceremony included the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo; former National Presidents of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Toro Oladapo and Ifeyinwa Omowole; some of the union elders Funke Fadugba, Gbenga Onayiga and Bola Akingbade, as well as zonal and national officers of the union, and the present NAWOJ Lagos Chairperson, Jumoke Johnson among others.