Abia Safe to Host NUJ Triennial Delegates’ Conference, Says Govt

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Abia State Government has faulted the claim that the state is unsafe to host the 2021 triennial delegates’ conference of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) slated for October this year, saying Abia ranks among the safest states in Nigeria.

The security assurances came on the heels of a statement credited to the NUJ Vice-President, Zone C, Mr. Petrus Obi, who claimed that Abia was unsafe to host the delegates’ conference.

But the state government in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, hit back at Obi, saying his purported insecurity claim was malicious and politically motivated.

The NUJ Zone C VP has remained at loggerheads with the NUJ President, Mr. Chris Isiguzo, who hails from Abia State since the latter emerged the president in 2018, and had even made futile attempts to invalidate Isiguzo’s mandate through litigations.

Okiyi, therefore, made it “clear that the picture of the security situation in Abia State as painted by Obi, apart from bearing the imprints of ill will, is obviously politically motivated as it bears neither truth nor logic, as the state is very safe.”

He said the government and people of Abia State were surprised at the ‘mischievous utterances by Obi’ with regard to the current security situation in the South-east region in general and Abia State in particular.

According to him, “The disgruntled NUJ VP was dwelling in the past given that Abia State has since regained its place of pride and remains one of the most peaceful, if not the most peaceful state in Nigeria.”

He stated that the state security status was “only momentarily disrupted by the #EndSARS crisis and agitations by groups, both of which were national issues. So we are confident that his campaign of calumny is dead on arrival.”

The commissioner recalled that the state Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, had taken proactive measures to tackle the security interruption immediately, adding that “the result is the peace and tranquility the state is enjoying.”

While backing Abia State safe status claim, Okiyi pointed out that the state “has been playing host to different organisations and institutions with similar programmes, including the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), with each event conducted without any hitch.

He noted that when Abia State hosted NGE meeting in May 2021, the “members of NGE also undertook extensive tours within the state without let, hindrance or any such other disruption.

“There was no way the ill-motivated statement of Obi could stand the logic and soundness of judgement of the NUJ, Abia State Council, which with the approval of its National Executive Committee, after having considered every factor, including security, requested the Abia State Government to host the union’s triennial delegates conference.”