By Frank Ulom
CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – The Cross River State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has elected Comrade Archibonganwan Eso Bassey as its Chairman.
CONVERSEER reports that Eso was elected on Thursday, 9th May 2024, in a special Congress held at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar.
Bassey became the first female Chairman of the Council and she replaced Comrade Nsa Gill who was appointed Chief Press Secretary to the Governor a few months ago by Governor Bassey Otu.
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The new Cross River State NUJ Chairman is a seasoned journalist with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and she’s a member of the NTA Chapel.
Other elected Executive Members of the Council are Comrade Sunday Inah of CRBC Chapel as Vice Chairman; Michael Abang of Correspondents Chapel as Secretary; and Ekong Okpa of Chronicle Chapel as Financial Secretary.
Their elections came in following a consensus reached during the Congress.
The Special Congress was presided over by the NUJ Zone “F” South South Zonal Vice President, Comrade, Okpaka Dokubo.
Dokubo charged the new EXCO to join hands and build a disciplinary and formidable union, voids of rancour and disunity.
In her acceptance speech, the newly elected Chairman, Comrade Bassey thanked the entire union for finding her and her new EXCO worthy of handling the affairs of the Union, promising not to disappoint the Union throughout her time as a chairman.
Commenting also, one of the Union members, Comrade Joseph Ephraim of Correspondents’ Chapel who works for the Nigeria Tribune said “The election was historic in nature for the emergence of a female state council Chairman for the first time in the history of the Union is a call for celebration.”
He maintained that the process was satisfactory and pledged to cooperate with the new leadership of the Union.
The new leadership will be in charge of the state council until April 2025.