BY : RAJI AYOOLA, Ibadan
The newly elected executives of Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ), Oyo State Council has issued a disclaimer notice on the immediate past Chairman of the council, Adewunmi Faniran.
This is contained in a statement signed by the council’s Secretary, Sola Oladapo and made available to newsmen on Monday in Ibadan.
It will be recalled that members of the state council had on Dec. 18 elected new executives to steer the affairs of the union for a three-year term.
Among those elected were Ademola Babalola(Chairman), Sola Oladapo (Secretary), Dauda Aderogba(Assistant Secretary), Akeem Abas(Treasurer) and Abiodun Atilola(Financial Secretary).
Babalola, the new chairman had won the election, having polled 179 votes to defeat Faniran who had just six votes.
The statement frowned at the antics of the erstwhile chairman aimed at causing crisis in the Union.
“It baffles one that Faniran who had since been removed from the National Executive Committee of NUJ is still surreptitiously parading himself as Chairman and giving NUJ awards to unsuspecting Nigerians for pecuniary gains.
“The security agencies are by this notice alerted to rein in, on the former Chairman and call him to order,” Oladapo added.
It called the attention of union members and well meaning Nigerians to the fact that other contestants on his team had accepted defeat.
“While the former state council secretary, Bola Ogunlayi has vacated his office, the ex-Chairman, Faniran has singlehandedly been parading himself about,” it said.
The statement urged Faniran to desist from presenting himself as Oyo NUJ Chairman in the interest of the union and members from the nine out of 10 chapels who cast their votes for Babalola and others on Dec. 18.
It said that the former NUJ Chairman was yet to accept the reality of his defeat at the polls, therefore seeing the chairmanship seat as his personal property.
“Since he was defeated, Faniran has not been able to step into the State NUJ press centre knowing that he is not popular.
“He had since his rejection by the overwhelming majority of Oyo NUJ members who cast their votes for Babalola and his team of executives, approached the court,” the statement reads in part.
The new executives thereby warn members of the public, corporate organisations and government institutions not to transact any business with Faniran, such transaction with him would be at their risk.
