By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has appealed to the FCT Minister, Barr. Nyesom Wike, to urgently come to the aid of the Council by extending his infrastructural largess to the FCT Council by fixing the deplorable state of the Council’s Secretariat in Utako, Abuja.
In a resolution at the second Congress held at the NUJ FCT Secretariat on Saturday 22th April, 2025, signed by Odigie Ehidiamen KelvinChairman, Communiqué Committee;
Kehinde Ayanfe, and Ebriku John members of the , Communiqué Committee, journalists had called for the attention and intervention of the FCT Minister to span his projects’ searchlight on the Council.
This appeal was at the second Congress of the NUJ FCT Council, chaired by Comrade Grace Ike, held on Saturday, 12th April 2025.
Journalists lamented the poor state of the Council facility currently used for Congresses, describing it as unfit for a professional body of the Fourth Estate of the Realm operating within the nation’s capital.
Congress called on the FCT Minister, Barr. Nysome Wike nicknamed, “Mr Project” for his visible development strides across the FCT, to extend similar attention to the NUJ FCT Council Secretariat.
The Union also appealed to the Minister to complete the long-delayed NUJ Pentagon, a building envisioned to serve as a landmark edifice for journalists in Abuja.
“The current state of our secretariat is appalling. We are earnestly appealing to the Honorable Minister to undertake a facility tour and see for himself the infrastructural decay we contend with. We believe that under his leadership, the Secretariat, and Pentagon project can finally be transformed into a lasting legacy,” the Congress resolved.
In addition to the infrastructure concerns, the NUJ FCT Council used the platform to draw attention to broader socio-economic issues confronting residents of the capital and Nigerians at large.
Journalists decried the persistent power outages across the FCT, attributing the problem to the inefficiencies of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
It warned that the poor electricity supply was stifling productivity and negatively impacting quality of life of journalists and residents of the territory, therefore, called for a better service delivery to citizens.
Meanwhile, journalists have criticised the rising cost of telecommunications and internet data, describing it as a heavy financial burden on citizens.
They urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to investigate billing practices by service providers and introduce measures that ensure affordability and consumer protection.
Furthermore, they expressed grave concern over the increasing rate of maternal mortality, due to worsening economic conditions and inflation.
They urged the Federal Government to provide free maternal healthcare services, including pre-natal, ante-natal, and post-natal care, to alleviate the burden on expectant mothers and reduce preventable deaths.
