By Omotayo Ayanda
The monthly Congress of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State Council, on Wednesday descended into a heated confrontation as members rejected the financial report presented by the Council Secretary, Comrade Yinka Alaya.
The Congress, which began as a routine statutory meeting, became tense when members raised fresh objections to the financial report, accusing the council leadership of repeatedly failing to address concerns raised at previous congresses over the proper presentation and transparency of the union’s financial records.
The controversy reportedly centred on the absence of a clear balance brought forward and the actual balance standing in the union’s account as at the time the report was presented.
A former Council Chairman, Mallam Umar Abdulwahab, who raised observations on the report, said members had repeatedly pointed out the same deficiencies during previous congresses, yet the necessary corrections had not been made.
He subsequently moved a motion for the rejection of the financial report as presented.
Seconding the motion, a former Council Secretary, Comrade Omotayo Ayanda, expressed disappointment that the concerns raised over the years had not been addressed.
Ayanda argued that there should be no secrecy surrounding the financial position of the union, stressing that the funds belong to the members and that they deserve to know how the money is being received, held and spent.
“We have raised these observations several times. By now, the necessary corrections should have been made. There should be nothing secret about the balance in our account. It is our money, and members deserve to be properly briefed on how it is being spent,” he said.
The Council Chairman, however, reportedly insisted that the matter had already been settled at a previous Congress and defended the manner in which the financial report was presented.
He further argued that even at the National Executive Council (NEC) level, members who attend NEC meetings are not necessarily provided with detailed financial statements.
His response appeared to further inflame an already tense atmosphere, with members exchanging heated words and challenging one another across the floor.
The disagreement eventually turned the Congress into a rowdy session, forcing some members who were dissatisfied with the report to walk out before the meeting ended.
The latest development has further deepened concerns over financial accountability within the Kwara State Council.
It would be recalled that some members had previously raised allegations of financial misappropriation, inadequate financial reporting, failure to present financial report in the last three Congresses and failure to render audit reports covering a period of about two and a half years.
The allegations have reportedly prompted members to petition the NUJ National Secretariat, calling for an investigation into the financial activities of the Kwara State Council.