On Friday, December 17th, 2021, Comrade Festus Alenkhe was sworn-in as the Chairman of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) having won election into the office with a landslide victory.
In this tete-a-tete, he disloses his achievements within just 15 months in office and revealed his next plans.
Excerpts:
You have so far done almost all you promised to do in three years just 15months into your tenure
When I was campaigning to be chairman I told my colleagues that I am not coming to play. I am coming in here to make a mark, to let people know that governance is a team work. It is not an individualistic affair. Therefore, one must be focused and ensure that what you’re coming to do is done. Before I came in I already applied what you call Plan of Action(POA). This quarter, this is what I am going to do, the next quarter, this is what I am going to do etc. In a quarter you must have something doing.
There are four quarters in a year. If you say this quarter is for journalists, let’s have fun, let’s have a sit out. This other quarter is for physical projects etc. We marked all these out. The next is how do we get funds for these? The journalism profession is a profession that gives you contact, makes you to knock on every door that will certainly be opened. Some of us that have been in this job for years we have knocked on many doors that have been personally opened for us. Having attained this position(NUJ chairman) I am knocking on these doors to now use it to better my profession which is exactly what I am doing. We have been interacting with some individuals, corporate bodies and some friends to say “this is what we are doing. Can you be of help?”
And they have been responding. One of such respondents is the Edo State Government. The governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, is our friend. He has always thrown his weight behind this administration. Presently, the power supply that we are enjoying in the Secretariat is one of such support from the state government. What you’re seeing now is just the beginning. We still have more to do. We started with the front view of the Secretariat last year. We touched it, went on to clean the floor and the marking. We changed the front view with pillars, removed the Lord Lugard old school doors and windows. We replaced them with very solid doors – fire and bullet proof. We also changed the windows to slide windows for the front view. Then we created a space for relaxation which have handrails. We also placed Nigeria and NUJ flags in a prominent place in front of the office building. When I came in there was nothing of such.
This year for the past two weeks we have been working on the backside of the Secretariat. I am happy to announce that we have removed virtually all the louvre blade windows that we have. And we have replaced them with aluminium slide windows. We have also touched the floor at the back. We have done concrete flooring. What we need to do next is the marking so that people can know where and how to park when you drive to the back of the Secretariat building. After this we want to embark on the next phase of the fencing. We call it iron wire fence which we are going to put at the backside towards our boundary with the EFCC and Moat side.
On using his chairmanship of the Edo State Council of the NUJ to groom himself for higher positions in the future
It is only a fool that will be in a position that will not aspire. If you’re in a position and you’re not thinking beyond the position then you are a fool. Nobody will be in a position and is not thinking of going forward one day. Of course, I am aspiring to be anything positive one day. I won’t deny that fact. But don’t forget that I am still in the civil service. I am a journalist working for a government television and radio station. I am focusing on that for now. The fact that I am in this position for now I am aspiring to be in other positions either in government or outside government.
This one I am in now is outside government though the government has a relationship with the NUJ. As you’re in Position A be thinking of advancing to Position B. Position A will come and go. If you don’t aspire, when it comes and go where will you now be? Of course, I should be thinking of something else after NUJ. I will keep that to my chest. Don’t forget that whatever position that you attain in life you must leave a mark. I am happy to say that if I leave NUJ now people would remember that somebody passed through the system.
If you go to the bar downstairs where journalists relax it is filled. It wasn’t like that before. We have three airconditioners working in there. The place is well furnished with a big TV set. Journalists now come to the Secretariat, relax and write their stories. We have internet working which you enjoy using at no cost. We connected every journalist to the wifi of the NUJ. You can send your stories for free. As we speak, we have approached a bank that’s giving soft loans to our members. So many have applied for such loan. The maximum amount that you can access is N2million. If you approach us for it we will direct that the bank give you the loan. We have recommended a lot of our members to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) office where they have been issued international passports which they use to travel outside the country. Those are some of our welfare packages.
On how he combines his assignment as a crime reporter with the Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) and his duty as chairman of the Edo State Council of the NUJ
My media work first because if I wasn’t doing that I wouldn’t have become NUJ chairman. Because I was making an impact as a reporter that’s why I was voted into office as NUJ chairman. I give priority to that primary assignment of crime reporter. Every Tuesday my programme is aired. I am always at my beat at the state Police Command Headquarters which is close to the NUJ Secretariat.
For the first time ever the Edo NUJ opened a Situation Room, the 2023 General Election Situation Room what was the motivating factor behind this?
As a reporter you go to cover assignment on election day and most journalists are usually attacked at different locations with nobody to come to their rescue. Sometimes journalists pick stories which turn out to be false. The Situation Room is to enable us correct some wrong stories before they go to press. The Situation Room gives us the opportunity to come to the rescue of any journalist under attack anywhere. We have an arrangement with the Police who gave us their phone numbers in case any journalist is under attack we know where to channel the information. The Situation Room would be closed after the state House of Assembly polls on Saturday, March 18th.
Festus Alenkhe’s best kept secrets
