A former chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council, Dr Norbert Chiazor, has urged the union to immortalise the late governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, by naming its press centre after him.
In a statement in Asaba, Chiazor described the proposed gesture as a fitting tribute to the former governor, whose administration, he said, made significant contributions to the advancement of journalism practice and the welfare of journalists in Delta State.
“If the Delta NUJ cannot name the entire press centre after the departed governor, it should immortalise him by designating its conference area as ‘Uduaghan memorial Hall’,” he said
Dr Chiazor explained that the enduring legacy of the Uduaghan administration was its support for the construction of
a permanent press centre for the Delta NUJ, which had operated from rented accommodation since the creation of the state in 1991.
He recalled that, following the preparation of preliminary architectural designs, the union leadership approached the governor through the then Secretary to the State Government, Comrade Ovozourie Macaulay, for land to build the facility.
According to Chiazor:
“The government allocated a parcel of land behind NTA Asaba, near the present location of Brand New Supermarket” However, Chiazor said he and the then union secretary, the late Comrade Gomo Oyiborhoro, rejected the site because they considered it too remote.
“Uduaghan subsequently provided another parcel of land along Marian Babangida Way, Asaba, where he laid the foundation stone of the press centre on November 18, 2014, during the NUJ’s annual Press Week. Among the dignitaries invited to the ceremony was Mr Femi Adesina, then president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors” he said.
Under Chiazor’s leadership, construction progressed to roof level through the SSG’s office before an order of an Asaba High Court halted further work amid a protracted land dispute involving the union and the managing director of Anioma Petroleum Services.
The dispute was eventually resolved in favour of the NUJ under the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, which also facilitated the completion and official opening of the press centre on October 28, 2022, before handing over the facility to the union leadership under Comrade Michael Ikeogwu.
Another major initiative, he explained, was the introduction of international journalism training for Delta-based journalists through the Reuters Journalism Institute in London.
Chiazor said he personally initiated contact with the institution and exchanged more than 100 emails with its head of training, Belen Bacera, before securing an agreement to train journalists from the state.
However, funding posed a major challenge until he presented the proposal to Uduaghan through the then Commissioner for Information, Barrister Chike Ogeah.
He said the governor promptly approved the request, paving the way for about 60 journalists from Delta State to travel to London in two batches between 2012 and 2013 for professional training at Reuters, a globally acclaimed news organisation.
Chiazor described the initiative as a landmark intervention that exposed the beneficiaries to international standards of journalism practice.
He also recalled that the Uduaghan administration donated two vehicles to the union: a 2012 Toyota Corolla and a Toyota Hiace bus.
Chiazor noted that successive chairmen of the Delta State council had continued to use the Corolla as their official vehicle since his tenure.
“The various initiatives would remain unforgettable milestones. With all modesty, I sought glory more than gifts. I was determined to do something meaningful and memorable for practising journalists in Delta State in appreciation of the opportunity to serve them,” he said.
Describing Uduaghan as a governor who held journalists in high regard, Chiazor said he was detribalized.
He added that many journalists, both indigenes and non-indigenes of Delta State, acquired houses and vehicles during Uduaghan administration, while the beneficiaries of the London training programme included journalists who were not originally from the state.
Chiazor said “Uduaghan’s generosity extended beyond Delta State, touching the lives of media practitioners across Nigeria, while his administration also worked to promote peace and unity in the state’s multi-ethnic society”
Recounting his personal relationship with Uduaghan, Chiazor said their association spanned his years as a broadcast journalist.
“My association with the late Uduaghan was quite exciting,” he said.
As moderator of DRTV Warri’s flagship news and current affairs programme, FOCUS, which aired from the 1990s to the late 2000s, Chiazor said he regularly hosted Uduaghan, who distinguished himself through incisive analyses of local and international issues alongside other eminent discussants.
Chiazor noted that his relationship with Uduaghan reached its peak when he became NUJ chairman in 2011, describing his six-year tenure, which ended in 2017, as a defining period in his professional life.
According to him, he became the first chairman in the history of the Delta State council to serve two terms, a feat he attributed to personal determination, divine grace and the support of the Uduaghan administration.
