By JOHNSON EBIGIDE
Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, has commended the leadership of the state Information Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for organising a press week in the state.
Mr. Aniagwu stated this during the grand finale of the press week at the Labour House in Asaba, the state capital.
He said that the initiative had succeeded in uniting members of the chapel of the union, saying that there was the need for them to continue to embrace unity of purpose towards strengthening the chapel in the state.
The commissioner, who was represented at the occasion by the Director of Information in the state Ministry of Information, Mrs Theresa Adiabua-Oliko, enjoined members of the chapel to put the shortcomings of the past behind and learn to forgive one another, just as he urged them to always conduct themselves in a most decorous carriage as Information Officers wherever they found themselves.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the state Council of NUJ, Comrade Michael Ikeogwu, in a goodwill message lauded the chapel for organising the press week, saying that it was not always easy to do so.
He frowned at the low turnout of members of the chapel at the occasion, saying that such unwholesome noncommittal attitude should be shunned among members of the union in the state, even as he commended Information Officers in the state for their proper dressing as against the shabby appearances of some journalists in the state.
Comrade Ikeogwu enjoined journalists in the state to get ready for accurate reportages of the 2023 General Elections in the state, saying that they should always think of their safety first while covering events.
He urged members of the chapel to work as a team so as to take over the chairmanship seat of the NUJ in the state after his tenure, saying that disunity had robbed the chapel of the position over the years, even when it was considered the largest chapel of the union in the state.
Earlier in a brief welcome address, the Chairman of the chapel, Comrade Kenneth Obieh, said that consummation of the press week had given him much joy, adding that not only had it brought the members together, but had sent the signal that the chapel had woken up from its slumber of disunity.
While commending all those that made the event a success, Comrade Obieh specially thanked Mr. Aniagwu for his fatherly role, advice, financial support and strong determination to strengthen the chapel, adding that but for the support from the commissioner, it would have been an arduous task to organise the event.
He said that the leadership of the chapel would continue to consider the welfare of members, adding that there was the need for them to henceforth act as members of one indivisible family.
Also speaking in a goodwill message, the Director of Orientation in the state, Mrs Stella Macaulay, lauded the organisers of the event, saying that it had succeeded in cemented the unfortunate cracks in the chapel.
She said that Information Officers were special class of journalists, specially trained to embrace decorous conducts at all times.
Earlier, Dr.Wilson Oghenekevwe, Delta State Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, had delivered a lecture on healthy living in which he outlined some practices and dietary habits that could be injurious to the human body, just as free medical checkup was conducted on members of the chapel at the occasion.