• Members of the State Advisory Council with the State Chairman, Comrade Amos Etuk (3rd Right)
By Itoro Bassey
The Akwa Ibom State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has officially inaugurated a State Advisory Council, which includes all former chairmen and secretaries from the Union’s history in the state.
Chairman of the NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, Comrade Amos Etuk, emphasised during the inauguration ceremony at the State Congress on Thursday that the initiative, as outlined in the NUJ Constitution, recognises the significant contributions of past leaders and aims to improve the governance principles of the State Council.
While he underscored the Council’s role as a consultative body that will provide guidance to the union’s leadership and promote unity and development among NUJ members in Akwa Ibom, Comrade Etuk expressed pride in the formation of the Advisory Council, describing it as the first-of-its-kind in the state.
The new Advisory Council includes notable past chairpersons such as Mr. Inimfon Udo, the inaugural State Chairman who served from 1988 to 1989, as well as Mr. Etop William (1991–1992), Mr. Ikpong Essien Udom (1993–1995), and Comrade Innocent Udom (1995–1998).
Other members include Mr. Sunday Antai (2000–2003), Comrade Israel Umoh (2004–2007), Elder Ephraim Etti (2007–2010), Comrade Joe Effiong (2010–2013), and Elder Patrick Albert (2013–2019).
Meanwhile, during the Congress, two new chapels—Apex and Redemption FM Chapels—were inaugurated, increasing the total number of chapels within the State Council to 18. The new chapels were inaugurated alongside their interim Executive Committee members (EXCO).
