History was made on Thursday in the Oyo State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), as members unanimously elected Comrade Raji Adebayo as the union’s new chairman.
The election came a few days after Comrade Oluseye Ojo (Sun Newspaper Correspondent) resigned as Chairman following an expression of interest to contest the vice chairmanship position in the forthcoming state Council election of the union.
Before now, the new chairman had contested against Oluseye Ojo at the November 2021 election and lost.
Present at the election held at Mokola, Ibadan Office of the state Correspondents’ Chapel are members of the state executive council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by the council Chairman, Comrade Demola Babalola.
In his speech, the state NUJ Chairman, Comrade Demola Babalola, urged Raji Adebayo to be magnanimous in victory, charging him with forgetting the past and charting a new course for the union.
Babalola said, Raji Adebayo last year contested against Seye Ojo and lost. Still, we really salute his sportsmanship spirit because today Raji is now the pride of the leaders of the Correspondents’ Chapel.
”I’m so happy that we are now having arrays of good and qualified journalists who are now the chairmen of chapels in the state and I will be glad to hand over the mantle of leadership of the union to any of them when it is time,” he added.
He further urged the new chairman of the Chapel to use his connections in the state and beyond to develop the Chapel to an enviable height.
”God Almighty has put you there. Please sustain the good standard of the chapel, and operate with an open door leadership, spend your money for the development of the chapel, do all within your power to bring in good people that will raise the chapel’s status. I’m so happy for you and I pray that God should grant you sound health and wisdom required to take this honourable chapel to an enviable height .” Babalola said.
Comrade Raji Adebayo promised to use all his power to move the chapel forward in his acceptance speech.
He said, “I sincerely thank you all, for without your support I cannot be where I am today. I’m using this opportunity to inform you all that I will work on my manifesto during the electioneering process to move our dear chapel forward.
“Like I promised, I will facilitate financial upliftment for our chapel, and the welfare of our members will be my priority. Very soon, I will facilitate training for some members of our chapel. For me to achieve all these, among other things, I need your support, for there is no leader without followers.”
Comrade Seye Ojo in his remarks expressed profound gratitude to God for the rare privilege to serve.
He said, “I am grateful to Almighty God for the opportunity He gave me to be the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of NUJ, Oyo State Council from October 2021 to October 2022.
”The mandate was to last for three years. But I had a higher calling to contest for the vice chairmanship position for the whole of NUJ in the state. So, I had to resign to pick up the nomination form. So, my exit gave room to Comrade Raji Adebayo to become the new chairman of the chapel. I congratulate him and wish him well in moving the Correspondents’ Chapel forward”.
Raji Adebayo was voted for by all the members present during the Congress, including a member of the NUJ Board of Trustees, Comrade Bayo Akamo, National Assistant Secretary, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Yinka Bode Are, former chairmen of the chapel, Comrade Sola Adeyemo and Comrade Kemi Olaitan, the state Treasurer, Comrade Abass Akem, and the state Secretary, Sola Oladapo.
The vice chairman, who acted as the chairman of the chapel during the Congress, Comrade Jeremiah Oke, Comrade Dare Adeogundiran, the Secretary, Stella Obi, and the Treasurer are among the members of the chapel’s executive in attendance.
Other members of the correspondents chapel in attendance are Mr Goke Oguntoye Zonal Director of news at News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Sheu Suliamon reporter of the News Agency of Nigeria, Vice Chairman of Oyo Sports Writers Association of Nigerian, Comrade Gbenga Olugbodi of the Sun Newspaper, Kazeem Awojoodu of Daily Independent, and Comrade Joseph Okwuofu, Publisher, Naija Examiner and Correspondent, Champion newspaper.
