It is no longer news that the accountability crisis rocking Akwa Ibom State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), is far from ending. What is news is that advocate for accountability under Elder Patrick Albert’s leadership has introduced a new twist into the advocacy.
Recently, a human rights activist and Publisher of Radar Newspapers, Otuekong Franklyn Isong, had during a consultation visit made to him by Mr. Ekong Inyang, seeking the Chairmanship of Insight Newspaper Chapel, called on the State Chairman of NUJ, Elder Patrick Albert, to render account of his stewardship to members of the union.
The articulate publisher alleged that on his estimation, “about N300M has entered the state NUJ within the about three years’ leadership of Elder Patrick Albert,” noting that he (Isong) did a personal assessment of the two-storey building structure erected at the NUJ Press Centre by Albert’s leadership, adding that his finding revealed that at N60M has being expended without it being roofed.
The activist, who is a fearless outstanding journalist in the state, went further to call on the NUJ Chairman to put the plate number of NUJ on the official vehicle –Prado Jeep- given to the union by the former Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Barr Bassey Dan-Abia (Snr.), which was announced to members of the union during the NUJ Thanksgiving Service at Esit Eket, last year.
As soon as Etim Homage posted Isong’s statement on his Facebook Timeline, aides, associates and hired- supporters of the NUJ chairman started pouring abuses and insults on Franklyn Isong, challenging him to back up his statement with evidence.
But Information available to me today, has it that to prove his claims, Franklyn Isong alongside other concerned journalists in the state council of NUJ have filed a strong worded petition with sufficient evidence against Patrick Albert at the National Secretariat of NUJ, Abuja, few days ago, calling for a probe of Elder Patrick Albert’s leadership.
Neither Isong nor Albert could be reached for comment before press time.
AKWA IBOM NUJ ACCOUNTABILITY CRISIS: FRANKLYN ISONG, OTHERS PETITION NATIONAL SECRETARIAT, CALL FOR PROBE
