A damning revelation has emerged on how the national leadership of NUJ in collaboration with one of the recently dissolved factional leaders of Imo NUJ led by one Comrade Chris Akaranoye planned to sell of the Imo State NUJ press center.
It took the intervention of the recently constituted caretaker committee of Imo chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists led by Mr Steve Uzoechi to frustrate such moves.The caretaker committee had issued a disclaimer, warning the public.This and other measures taken saved the union from activities of some criminal elements who had perfected plan to sell the property.
Meanwhile, the caretaker committee is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that every property belonging to the Union is recovered.
An insider source who did not mention the name of the buyer said it was Senator Rochas Okorocha’s family member whose business elsewhere is currently encumbered as a result of it’s location. He hinted that shortly after the property was acquired at Port-Harcourt Road, they discovered that the complex was unknowingly built on the Rail-way lane, hence leading to the threat by Imo State government to pull down the house along with others, also affected by the encroachment.
Our source hinted that among those who allegedly shared the deposit paid to the NUJ for the criminal sale of the property valued at over N500million are the NUJ former Chairman and his excutives. Those who shared in the proceeds are already jittery over the decision of the caretaker committee led by Mr. Steve Uzoechi to set up a recovery committee. With this decision, it is believed that many heads will roll.
It is said that upon realizing what is at stake, the national chairman of NUJ has paid deaf ears to the complaints of majority of NUJ members who had written to inform him that some renegades had deroofed one of the halls in the massive secretariat and sold off the roofing sheets. Aside selling off the roofing sheets, they are said to have sold the fittings in the secretariat while some were carried to their homes.
It would recalled that upon the re-election of Rochas Okorocha in 2015,the leadership of Imo NUJ led by the former chairman, Chief Innocent Igwe paid a solidarity visit to Okorcha where he muted the idea of buying off the secretariat from the union. Okorocha had believed that erecting secretariats for different labour unions at the reserved area of new government house which he converted to himself and cronies will help him save his property after his exit from government.
