Former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, yesterday congratulated Mrs. Funke Egbemode, on her reelection as the President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), during the guild’s biennial convention in Lagos.
Atiku felicitated with the entire members and leadership of the editors’ group on a peaceful and successful election at its biennial convention in Lagos at the weekend.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain said in a statement by his media office in Abuja that the guild displayed exceptional leadership and good conduct in the way it was able to organise within a short time, a rancour-free and credible election, which saw the emergence of a new crop of leaders to pilot the affairs of the association.
He said the outcome of the elections of Egbemode as President; Suleiman Uba Gaya as Deputy President and other well-known editors was a testimony to the enduring legacy of the guild.
The Turakin Adamawa wished the new leadership the best as it goes ahead to run the affairs of the association while serving as a watchdog of sorts on the practice of the journalism profession.
He expresses the hope that the new management would partner the present administration in the dissemination of government programmes as well as other critical groups in the society to see that the country gets good leadership through timely and unbiased information gathering and management.
As a media enthusiast, investor and consumer, the APC chieftain said looked forward to working closely with the guild to advance the frontiers of good governance, democracy and justice in our society.
Also, Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, noted that the choice of Egbemode, who is the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, New Telegraph Newspapers, is a clear testimony that she has successfully justified the confidence reposed in her by her colleagues in the past year.
Saraki said: “I can only admonish her to work harder to extend the frontiers of her achievements as the President of the NGE. Her return unopposed is a fitting tribute to the fact that her contributions have been recognised. As they say: “the reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.â€
He also lauded the NGE for the peaceful and transparent elections while urging the body to collaborate with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and other critical stakeholders to rid the journalism profession of quacks and impostors whose activities daily undermine the credibility of the true professionals.
On his part, Dogara in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, in Abuja, urged Egbemode to continue from where she stopped in uniting the guild to tackle the many challenges confronting journalism in the country.
The Speaker, who expressed confidence that Egbemode’s re-election would sustain the tempo of her first term and usher in a new era in the NGE, said: “She will no doubt bring her wealth of experience to continue to bear in the discharge of her responsibilities.
“I congratulate Egbemode and indeed, all members of the leadership of the NGE for the successful conduct of the election.
“I also use this opportunity to call on all members of the guild to unite behind the new leadership to help it achieve success in its agenda to lift the guild to greater heights.â€
Similarly, Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has congratulated Egbemode on her re-election as the President of NGE.
Okowa in a statement issued in Asaba by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu, described the re-election as appropriate and well-deserved, adding that going by her contributions to the guild, it was expected that she would be re-elected.
The governor noted that the entire members of the guild deserved accolades for re-electing Egbemode as President of the guild due to her invaluable and significant contributions to the journalism profession.
He further described Egbemode as a role model who has proved her mettle in the profession, adding that her recent re-election was well-deserving and an inspiration to other women striving to make a name in the profession.
“As Nigeria continues to grapple with the challenges of economic recession, it is therefore a challenge on the NGE to ensure that editors continue to set agenda for the diversification of the economy through their editorial comments and feature writings,â€the statement noted.
Okowa urged Egbemode to bring her wealth of experience to bear, not only in advancing the course of the guild, but also the journalism profession in general.
