By George Ozalla
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has appealed to the Honourable Minister of the FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to urgently address the dilapidated state of infrastructure at the Council’s Secretariat in Utako, Abuja. The union described the current state of the facility as “appalling” and unfit for a professional body of journalists operating within the nation’s capital.
The NUJ FCT Council Secretariat’s poor condition has prompted the union to seek Wike’s intervention, citing his visible development strides across the FCT. The union also appealed to Wike to aid in completing the long-delayed NUJ Pentagon, envisioned as a landmark edifice for journalists in Abuja.
The NUJ FCT Council highlighted broader issues, including the persistent power outages across the FCT, attributed to inefficiencies of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), which are stifling productivity and negatively impacting quality of life. Members criticized the rising costs of telecommunications and internet data, describing it as a heavy financial burden on citizens, and urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to investigate billing practices.
The Congress expressed grave concern over the increasing rate of maternal mortality, linked to worsening economic conditions and inflation, and called on the Federal Government to provide free maternal healthcare services.
The NUJ FCT Council has pledged continued engagement with relevant authorities to address these pressing challenges and reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for the welfare of journalists and the general public.
This appeal was made in a press release jointly signed by Odigie Ehidiamen Kelvin, Chairman of the Communiqué Committee, Kehinde Ayanfe, and Ebriku John, members of the Communiqué Committee.
