Anambra NUJ Suspends Chapel Chairman Over Misconduct
The Anambra State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) is embroiled in controversy as the Correspondents’ Chapel has suspended its chairman, Emeka Odogwu, citing several allegations of misconduct.
The suspension, which took effect immediately, was announced in a statement on Wednesday by the Chapel’s Chairman, Chuks Ilozue, and Secretary, Lucy Osuizigbo.
The Chapel’s leadership accused Odogwu of failing to adhere to internal mechanisms before escalating union matters to the Directorate of State Service (DSS).
The statement outlined that Odogwu’s actions, including manipulating election records and failing to seek clearance before contesting the NUJ election, warranted the suspension.
“Odogwu allegedly falsely claimed membership of the Correspondents’ Chapel and contested the Anambra NUJ council election without clearance from the chapel’s leadership,” the statement stated.
The leadership also expressed concerns over Odogwu’s failure to uphold the chapel’s trust. “We cannot have a situation where our chairman is not accountable to us,” said Ilozue. “His actions constitute a serious breach of trust and impunity.”
Further accusations focused on financial misconduct. Odogwu allegedly instructed members to pay their dues and practicing fees into a private account instead of the chapel’s official account, which was deemed an outright violation of union procedures.
“It is unacceptable for our chairman to ask members to pay dues into a private account,” Osuizigbo stated. “This is a blatant disregard for our rules and procedures.”
The chapel’s leadership made it clear that they did not want to escalate the matter with the state council of NUJ but felt compelled to clarify the situation. “We do not intend to join issues with the state council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) knowing that we are still one family,” the statement read. “We, however, wish to set the record straight.”
The statement went on to highlight a series of disputes between Odogwu and the Chapel, particularly concerning dues payments, practicing fees, and the chapel’s election process.
“We have tried to resolve these issues internally, but our chairman has refused to listen,” Ilozue commented. “We have no choice but to suspend him pending his purging of these offences.”
The chapel’s statement detailed the events that led to this point, starting with the disagreements surrounding Odogwu’s attempt to handle chapel finances personally, and culminating in a series of actions that caused the leadership to take the drastic step of suspension.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
