HISTORY OF NIGERIA UNION OF JOURNALISTS

HISTORY OF NIGERIA UNION OF JOURNALISTS

There was a lacuna in the history of NUJ because between 1961 - 1969 the Union's name was struck out from the list of the registered Trade Unions. This was because the Union had failed to operate as a trade Union. The birth of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), under a six-man inaugural Executive Council, that beautiful day at the premises of St. Paul's School, Breadfruit Street, Lagos, on March 15, 1955, marked the Zenith of years of a silent revolution for the actualization of a common front by some early nationalists who formed the core of a call for an independent Nigeria, via the power of the pen. In earlier times, such struggle that “Britain must go” had manifested in the expressed opinions, appearing in the now extinct newspapers including the Anglo African, The Eagle, Lagos Weekly Times, The Lagos Chronicles, The Lagos Standard, Lagos Weekly Record, The African Messenger, The Lagos Daily News, West African Pilot and others. Among those nationalists with the fire of patriotism and nationalism burning in them and their writings included the first Governor General of Nigeria, the late Owelle of Onitsha, the Rt Hon (Dr.) Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first Premier of the defunct Western Region, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Alhaji Tafawa Balewa; the late Herbert Macaulay and Chief H. O. Davies who, with the launch of the Yoruba vernacular newspaper “Iwe Irohin ni Ede Yoruba”, founded by the late Rev. Ajayi Crowther in Abeokuta, in 1929, wrote powerfully, in their newspapers, columns on the need for Nigeria's self-rule. For those “been tos” who had tasted Western civilization, the need for Nigeria to remain free was inevitable, hence others including one-time Ogun State Governor, the late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo and one of his successors, Chief Olusegun Osoba among others, joined the bandwagon of patriots and early times media practitioners in the dream of establishing a common forum for Nigerian Journalists. In the homefront, some writers who also, had had a taste of Western education and in particular in the field of journalism, were determined to push for the struggle for commensurate wages. While in Britain in search of the golden fleece, the likes of Chief Olu Oyesanya then a member of the London Institute of Journalism had formed the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Britain and on his return to Nigeria in 1954, he joined the colonial government as an Information Officer, spearheading the formation of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and became a member of the premier Executive Council and first Secretary, in 1955. Also emerged, as Principal Officers with him was the late Mobolaji Odunewu, the first President of the Union. Odunewu served as the first Nigerian Chief Information Officer under the colonial government. Others were the late Ebun Adesioye who emerged as Treasurer while Messrs Increase Coker, Chief Olabisi Onabanjo “Ayekoto” and H. K. Offonery served as ex-officios respectively. Towing the policy line of the early leaders of the Union and in concert with established rules governing all industrial Unions globally, the NUJ has a working constitution, which remains the encyclopedia of its rules including the election of its National leaders.

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Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE

Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner