SUNDAY April 20, 2025 |
By thenewsdesk.ng
The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, FCT Council has announced rampant financial irregularities by its former executives, revealing a trail of unaccounted funds and missing records.
A probe Committee, led by Tony Akowe of the Nation Newspaper, presented its findings at a World Press Briefing in Abuja recently, exposing the tenure of Emmanuel Ogbeche, Patrick Osadebamwen, and Ochiaka Ugwu as a saga of mismanagement.
Inaugurated on January 25, 2025, by the NUJ-FCT Congress, the Committee uncovered a lack of transparency under Ogbeche’s leadership, 2018–2021.
Ogbeche, a seasoned journalist and current Special Adviser to the Cross River State Governor, led with Osadebamwen, a Nigerian Tribune Reporter and former Acting Chairman, and Ugwu, a People’s Daily staff, who served as ex-Secretary.
No formal handover occurred, and Osadebamwen provided only one audited report and rental receipts, claiming other documents were sent to the NUJ National Secretariat, a claim the Secretariat denied.
“The probe revealed staggering discrepancies including; ₦33 million in rental income lacked tenant details, ₦7.2 million in donations had no source evidence, and ₦5.28 million, spent on salaries for staff earning ₦25,000 monthly.
“Expenditures like ₦1.7 million on electricity, ₦285,000 on DStv/GOtv, and ₦14 million in undocumented advance rent, raised red flags. There was no accountability,” Akowe stated, decrying the past executives’ non-cooperation.”
The NUJ-FCT Congress, on April 12, 2025, issued a public disclaimer, barring Ogbeche, Osadebamwen, and Ugwu from representing the Council.
The Congress also announced the withdrawal of Gloria Essien’s representation at the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, FCT Council, citing her refusal to cooperate with the probe.
The Congress demanded that UBA freeze account, Nos. 1022765326, 1014057659, 3002941904, still controlled by former signatories.
Employers and Government bodies were notified to shun these individuals, signaling a firm stand against financial misconduct. As journalists demands justice, the NUJ-FCT’s exposure, marks a pivotal moment in reclaiming trust.
In response to these findings, the Committee has recommended that anti-graft agencies, including the EFCC, ICPC, and the Nigerian Police Force’s, Criminal Investigation Department, NPFCID, be invited to thoroughly, investigate the matter.
Other recommendations included barring past officials from accessing the respective Banks accounts and the immediate renegotiation of property leases with professional valuers to safeguard the Council’s assets.
At the April 12 Congress, members of the NUJ-FCT Council unanimously adopted the report and issued far-reaching resolutions. Among them are decisions, to dissociate the council from Emmanuel Ogbeche, Patrick Osadebamwen, and Ochiaka Ugwu, instructing them to cease all actions carried out in the name of the union and relinquish control over all Councils’ accounts.
NUJ, FCT Exposes Past Leaders’ Financial Misdeeds in Shocking Probe
