The bureau chief of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe State, Hajara Leman, was returned unopposed as Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel of the state’s council of the NUJ on Saturday.
She will run the chapel for a second three-year term.
She was inaugurated alongside other officials who include Peter Uwumarogie also of NAN as chapel secretary; Abdullahi Idris of Voice of Nigeria (VON) as treasurer and Rabilu Abubakar of Aminiya (Daily Trust Newspapers) as financial secretary.
The three other officials were also returned unopposed.
Inaugurating the executives, Mr Saidu Malala, NUJ chairman, Gombe State council, urged them to justify the essence of their election.
Malala also advised them to jettison partisan politics and ensure that they are not used as tools ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In his remarks, chairman of the Electoral Committee, Haruna Gimba, said the NUJ Constitution was strictly complied with in the conduct of the elections.
Gimba advised the newly-inaugurated executives to ensure strict adherence to the NUJ Constitution in the conduct of their activities while ensuring peaceful coexistence in the running of day-to-day activities of journalists in the chapel.
In her acceptance speech, Leman pledged to ensure responsible journalism under her leadership.
She stated that under her leadership, journalism would be practiced with dignity, integrity and utmost respect for the constitution guiding activities of the profession.
The chapel chairman further urged journalists in the state to jettison fake news reporting, hate speech and any reportage that could cause damage to society.
“Journalists must work to build public trust and reinforce the confidence of the people in what we can offer as the bedrock of the society and the voice of development and promoters of peaceful coexistence.
“I must also use this opportunity to remind journalists in the chapel as well as in the state to be mindful of the era we are, especially going into 2023 general elections.
“Fact-checking every piece of news should be our habit to ensure that we don’t become purveyors of fake news or ‘toxic’ journalism,’’ she said. (NAN)
