It was electrified, charged but a calmed courtroom as Court No.03 of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN Port Harcourt Judicial Division opened hearing on the case concerning aggrieved members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the National Union of Journalists, NUJ Rivers state chapter, matter of which pertained to the chapel election fixed for 26th January 2018.
The aggrieved members have gone to the court asking for mitigation on matters of qualifications for the election and process but the case suffered several setbacks in the past seven years. The case suit No.: 04/2018/NICN/PHC. Between Akpekwu Christopher Imbufe & four others v Odusile and eight others was first brought before late Justice Ibrahim Awul an indigene of Bauchi state who died two days to February 25th, 2018 when he ought to have delivered his preliminary ruling on the case.
His death was a setback, for it took several months before the case was reassigned to Honourable Justice Sylvester Ogboanya Court No. 02 who took a much longer time to hear the applicants. Then followed adjournments on the matter occasioned by the withdrawal of some of the eleven Claimants under representative status.
Monday 22nd of April 2024, Honourable Justice Amanda Mohammed who is the 4th Judge to have been presiding on the matter. He sat as early as 09 am to open the day’s judicial business with Claimant Akpekwu Christopher Imbufe. The Claimant’s Counsel Barrister Edmund Ebri called up his case and Claimant Imbufe was ushered to the witness stand where he was administered with the Oath by the Court’s Clerk.
Immediately his particulars were diligently presented as exhibits which defendants’ Counsel admitted in evidence to be certified. After the Presiding Judge had read out the Exhibit materials and he asked if the defendants’ Counsel has any cross examination on the particulars of the Claimant, it was a calm articulated Claimant, Imbufe who responded intelligently to questions put to him by Defense Counsel.
On the issue of qualification for election, Mr. Imbufe enlightened Defense Counsel on the required conditions set up by the Rules (Constitution) to which he was handed exhibit C being a copy of the guideline for qualifications for membership of Nigeria Union of Journalists. Hear him: “My Lord, to be a member of the NUJ, it is stipulated that a possession of a minimum of a Diploma and cognate experience in Journalism or Mass Communication obtained from a recognized institution, at least 12 months is required for one to be registered as a member of the Union.
He stated that prior to January 2018 he had been a member of the Correspondents’ Chapel NUJ Rivers state Council for more than 14 years. Asked by the Defense Counsel if he exhausted internal dispute resolution mechanism before bringing his matter to the Court of which he told the Presiding Judge that he wrote to different organs of the union concerning his grievances but as he’s standing before the court 7years after no response from such quarters has been given and that he cannot forcefully present himself before any Disciplinary Committee unless he’s invited based on his complaints before the Nigerian Union of Journalists.
Another issue that Claimant Imbufe was confronted with included the fact that in 2014, he was Secretary to Election Committee of the Correspondents’ Chapel where Claimant number three was disqualified based not having a certificate in Journalism or Mass Communication. He responded by saying that he was a Secretary and there was a Chairman of the committee and decisions were taken based on proviso to the stated Rules guiding the association that one of the Contestants had Diploma in Computer Engineering and the other has a Bachelor Degree in International Relations which the committee decided to accept the latter as being close to Mass Communication and Journalism just like his certificate in Public Administration from University of Calabar. And in 2017 the association sat and reviewed the qualifications for aspirants and threw it open to members with a waiver of stepping down qualification on Journalism and Mass Communication and attendance to Congress meetings was also given considerations. All these he said were recorded in one of the exhibits he tendered before the court.
The matter was adjourned to May 14th 2024 for continuation of hearing.
It’s of interest to observe that majority of the defendants are now late including Chairman of the 2018 Correspondents’ Chapel NUJ Election Committee late Mr. Joseph Ezuma, late former Vice Chairman, Chief Godfrey Azubuike while Claimant late Mrs. Bunmi Duroajiye all had passed on leaving three Claimants Mr. Akpekwu Christopher Imbufe, Mr. Philips Ezuma and Mr. Chijioke Nwankpa and some of the Defendants including Chief. Ernest Chinwo and Mr. Anayo Onukwugha and others now facing the continuation of the 7-years old court case that its outcome of judicial pronouncement of interpretation of who is a Journalist, will reshape the entry qualification .for the practitioners of the noble profession of Journalism in Nigeria.