NDDC board: First female chairman tasks NAWOJ to defend truth

Tina Amanda

The first female chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Governing Board, Lauretta Onochie, has charged the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) to passionately defend the truth, as the fourth Estate of the realm.

She gave the charge when the leadership of the NAWOJ Rivers State branch led by Susan Serekara-Nwikhana paid a familiarization visit to her office in Port Harcourt, to solicit for the commission’s synergy in bettering the lives of women in the Niger Delta region.

Onochie urged female journalists to always report correctly and bear in mind that they are the conscience of the Niger Delta Region as such should report things as it happens irrespective of who is involved.

The NDDC Board Chairman advised female journalists to be neutral and practice free and fair reportage, avoiding any form of partisanship in journalism.

She said: “NAWOJ as the women Arm of the fourth estate of the realm, their primary duties is to know that they are the conscience of the people. Everything is not about politics be the conscience and soul of the state, where all failed, the fourth Estate of the realm must stand for defending the truth.

“As you do your job remember that there are more people in Nigeria, who do not belong to any political party so your reportage should be for the wellbeing, welfare, and justice of the people and nation as the fourth estate of the realm. That is your principal role.

“I will like to seek your support in that regard. We want you to support us as we showcase what we do here to the world justly irrespective of how you look at it. We are not asking that you do us special favours, we are only asking that you do your work correctly as unjust reportage has caused more pain.

“That has been the pain of our society, journalists are not reporting correctly. Just report what has happened correctly no embellishment, so that in the end the society will be a better place for all to live in.

“Because if we report unjustly and it leads to chaos and war is our women and children that will suffer more.”

She thanked members of NAWOJ for extending hands of fellowship while promising to collaborate as well as work together with NAWOJ for the betterment of the Niger Delta.

It is worthy to note that Onochie was a former member of NAWOJ, Lagos State Branch and now has accepted to be Matron to NAWOJ Rivers State Chapter.

Earlier in her speech, the Chairperson of NAWOJ Rivers State, Susan Serekara-Nwikhana, said NAWOJ as an association that is out to better the lives of women and children in the society, has embarked on several projects such as the Girl Child Education, Rehabilitating Youths as well as helping widows in indigenous skills.

“We have embarked on sensitisation programmes on obnoxious traditional practices such as Female Genital Mutilation ( FGM), gender-based violence, and soot.

“In the soonest, the national population commission will start as a result NAWOJ would be engaging in a series of sensitisation to the rural areas, but our major challenge now is the NAWOJ bus, which is moribund.

She, however, used the opportunity to seek permission from the chairman of the NDDC board to be the Matron of NAWOJ, so that through the synergy of NAWOJ and the commission, the financial burden that the association is confronted with will be reduced drastically.

Nwikhana solicited for the engagement of image laundering of professional women of the association into the commission so that most activities carried out by NDDC will no longer be under-reported, while also rebranding the image of the commission, among other issues presented to the NDDC chairman, governing board.