By Patrick Ochei
The immediate past Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Delta State Council and a refined broadcaster, Comrade Norbert Chiazor has been appointed Special Assistant on Media to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
The appointment which is referred to as a square peg in a square hole has elicited enormous celebration from the media constituency and persons who value proper information management in the State.
Chiazor served as Director of Media and Strategic Communication for Hon. Prince Ned Nwoko’s senatorial campaigns in the 2019 elections and also rallied media publicity for Nwoko’s Operation Return Okowa 2019, culminating in the electoral success of the Governor.
The seasoned journalist is expected to bring his vast experience to bear in the propagation of the policy thrusts of the Okowa administration.
As a 1992 graduate of English/Literature, University of Benin, Mr Chiazor also holds a degree in Mass Communication, Delta State University and Masters Degree in Mass Communication, University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN.
The veteran journalist and wordsmith who hails from Idumuje-Unor in Aniocha North local government area of Delta State was until his appointment, Deputy General Manager/Head of News and Current Affairs Department, Delta Broadcasting Service, Warri where he disengaged from service in October 2019 after a phenomenal journalism career that began in Bendel Broadcasting Service in Benin city.
Chiazor was at various times a freelance journalist in leading local and international newspapers, including The Guardian Newspapers and the National Concord now defunct as well as Mail & Guardian of South Africa, Irish Times and The Sowetan. He has published articles in the New York based globally read newspaper – International Herald Tribune.
A respected journalist, Chiazor was Delta NUJ Chairman from 2011 – 2017, serving an unprecedented tenure of six years with sterling performance that earned the Union popular prestige and glory. He was able to resolve all lingering disputes in the Union and got the government of Delta State to allocate another land to the Union for the building of its Press Centre which he eventually handed over at a roofed level.
His administration as NUJ Chairman also recorded an unprecedented landmark that earned the Union a sponsorship of its members for a course at the Thomas Reuters Journalism Institute in London, twice by the Delta State Government. He also left two operational vehicles for the Union before handing over as part of his numerous achievements while holding sway as the man at the helm of affairs.