The immediate past president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Chris Isiguzo and his ally, Chris Akaraonye whom he allegedly installed as Imo NUJ chairman on assumption office as president, Wednesday lost in their bid to sell or lease the Imo NUJ secretariat situated along Port Harcourt road Owerri, Imo state the Blueprint newspaper reports.

It was alleged that Isiguzo and his cronies wanted to sell the property to a former governor who sponsored his first tenure election in Abeokuta, Ogun state in 2018, without due process and with more than N200 million already released.

But when a group of Imo journalists popularly known as Imo NUJ Integrity Group led by indefatigable activist, Comrade Precious Nwadike got a hint of it, they nipped the plan in the bud and took over the Secretariat.

The company that claimed Isiguzo, Akaraonye and others sold the property to them, Enedo, in a swift reaction to the takeover, went to the High Court to reclaim the property.

However, in her judgment on Wednesday, December 5, 2024, Justice Ann-Ononeze Madu delivered judgement in favour of Imo NUJ(the Integrity Group) concerning the said Union’s property- Imo NUJ Press Centre/ Secretariat.

Justice Madu condemned the actions of Isiguzo, Akaraonye, Dim etc for parading themselves as leaders of the union and trying to sell the property when their leadership at the state level was being challenged at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN, Owerri Division.


The court noted that they had no authority to sell the property of Imo Journalists and should desist forthwith.


She also declared whatever move they had already made towards the sale or lease as illegal.

Meanwhile, journalists in the state have hailed the judgement.

In his reaction to the landmark judgment, a former chairman of Imo NUJ who was in power when the press centre was handed over to Imo journalists in 1988 by a military governor, Commander Amadi Ikwechegh, Chief Ben Osuagwu, commended Justice Madu for her outspokenness on the matter.

He said that the judgment represented fairness, truthfulness and condemnation of criminality of the highest order.
He wondered how three or four persons could rise up to sell a property claiming they were officers of thre union.

Chief Osuagwu, had before the judgment called on the state governor, Chief Hope Uzodimma and the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma not to allow that property to be sold.
|SituationReport|