Matilda Omonaiye/
Chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ) in Lagos, Hajia Sekinah Lawal, today called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release the outcome of its investigations into the over N150million Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) housing scheme fraud.
Hajia Lawal made the request at a news conference in Ikeja on Monday.
She said that after two years of investigation into the alleged fraud, she expected the EFCC to present the report of its findings or charge the case to court.
“We call on the leadership of the EFCC in Lagos to summon the courage to issue a report on their findings after two years of investigation and proceed to do the needful,” she said.
According to her, no fewer than 800 persons, mostly journalists, subscribed to the botched housing scheme.
She added that the EFCC had been silent for too long on a petition submitted two years ago by 26 of the subscribers calling for a probe of NAWOJ President, Ifeyinwa Omowole, over the failed housing scheme.
Lawal, who addressed the press conference alongside the NUJ Chairman of The Nation Chapel, Mr Musa Odoshimokhe, contended that the election conducted last Thursday by NAWOJ, Lagos chapter, was null and void, having been done in disobedience to a court order.
She said, “The election season came amid a struggle to get justice for our members who had lost about N150 million in a fraudulent housing scheme, spearheaded by Mrs Omowole, who saw a window of opportunity in the planned Lagos NAWOJ election to wrest power from the vocal incumbent chairperson of NAWOJ, Hajia Sekinah Lawal, and subscribers who were prosecuting a case against her (Omowole).
“After suffering the inaction of the past national and state leadership of the NUJ in the last three years regarding the housing fraud, some of the subscribers even reported those involved to the EFCC.
“Mrs Omowole openly boasted that nothing would come out of the EFCC and truly, the EFCC seems to have stopped working on the fraud case.”
She argued that the May 23 Lagos NAWOJ election should not stand as it was conducted against the order of the National Industrial Court (NIC).
While vowing that the housing scheme subscribers would do everything legally possible to get justice, Lawal called on the EFCC to release its probe report on the alleged housing.
“There shall be no retreat and no surrender in our collective struggle for justice as we rest assured that the harder the struggle, the more glorious shall be our triumph,” she said.
NUJ The Nation Chapel Chairman Odoshimokhe said the NUJ is in a disarray, adding that “if we don’t put our heads together to nip all these crises in the bud now, it will become a monster that will hunt all of us.”
According to him, NAWOJ President Omowole is at the centre of all these crises in the Lagos State council “because she has an anointed candidate, as a result, she arranged the so-called electoral committee to favour her candidate in the botched election.”
Odoshimokhe said: “We are against this. The electoral committee set the constitution aside. If the constitution is to be set aside, it should encompass everything not that you set aside certain areas and uphold some areas because those areas you’re upholding are only favourable to you. Our members who came there to partake in that election were not allowed to participate. They were chased out and some of them were even rough handled. Given that as it may, even when a constituted court of competent jurisdiction sent its bailiff to serve a summon on the electoral committee that the election should be stopped, they still went ahead to hold that election.
“As far as we are concerned at The Nation, that election has not held. That election was one-sided and it was only done by the so-called Public Relations Officers (PROs) in the Ministry of Information. The Nation, The Sun, The Guardian and some other chapels were disenfranchised. Therefore, there was no election. There’s a court process on the ground. We may even go ahead to sue them for disenfranchising our members. Our members have paid their dues. You cannot come overnight and say people should pay N3000 whereas they have paid as members of NUJ. The money was deducted from the source. It is left for the NUJ to remit whatever it has for NAWOJ. By double taxing them with N3000, that has not been the process. The NAWOJ election is a charade. It cannot stand and we are against it and we cannot accept it in any way.”
Here’s the Full Text of Hajia Sekinah Lawal’s Statement:
LAGOS NAWOJ CRISIS: RAPE OF DEMOCRACY, ABUSE OF POWER AND CONTEMPT OF COURT
In the face of recent developments in the affairs of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lagos Chapter and the falsehood being peddled by mischief makers over a botched election, it is expedient to put the issues in the right perspective. An order issued by Justice R.H. Gwandu, at a National Industrial Court (NIC), had restrained NAWOJ, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and four others from conducting the election of officers of Lagos NAWOJ on May 23, 2019.
Before then, in February 2019, members of NAWOJ in Lagos at a Congress had set up a Credentials Committee to work towards the election of the association, and the Committee led by Dr Grace Achum embarked on its assigned duties until the National President of NAWOJ, Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, through a statement signed by NAWOJ National Secretary, Ladi Bala, unconstitutionally and unilaterally sacked the Committee set up by the Congress.
Then, set up another Committee led by Mrs Abiola Beckley to rescreen aspirants and conduct election setting aside the NUJ Constitution.
The election season came amid a struggle to get justice for our members who had lost about N150million in a fraudulent housing scheme midwived by Mrs Omowole, who saw a window of opportunity in the planned Lagos NAWOJ election to wrestle power from the vocal incumbent chairperson of NAWOJ, Hajia Sekinah Lawal and subscribers who were prosecuting a case against her. It’s quite unfortunate if we cannot sanction our members for defrauding their colleagues and we call ourselves the watchdog and conscience of the society.
After hijacking the election process, Mrs Omowole brazenly revealed in a post on social media what she intended to do with the new committee concerning the NAWOJ election (Copy of the post attached).
In the post, Mrs Omowole described herself as the constituted authority and announced the direction in which things would go on the day she had fixed for the election. She had earlier unlawfully suspended the constitution, while at the same time disenfranchising some media houses based on one aspect of the same constitution, which has to do with dues. I also expressed unfairness of the committee in the open-ended number of delegates from the ministry of information thereby giving undue advantage to ministry staff over practising Journalists with women from the ministry doubling the number from all other media houses put together.
After seeing Mrs Ifeyinwa’s post and the suspension of the constitution, on behalf of some of our members in Lagos, we briefed our lawyers and approached the National Industrial Court to stop the election. The case was heard and the Judge gave an Injunction that the election must not hold. The Honorable Judge also ordered for accelerated hearing of the case and urged parties to obey the order of Court, holding that any attempt of omission or commission would be treated as contempt of the Court.
But, in what appeared to be a rape of democracy and utter disregard for the Rule of Law, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information & Strategy in Lagos, Mr Fola Anthony-Adeyemi, led others to physically prevent the Court Bailiff from serving the Court Order at the venue of the election using men of the Directorate of State Services (DSS), the Police, top officials from the ministry and some thugs who kicked a vice-chairmanship candidate from The Sun Newspapers, Mrs Tessy Igomu, in the abdomen and descended on her supporters who were disenfranchised along with other NAWOJ members from The Nation, The Sun, Chief Detective, Lagos Television (LTV), The Guardian and other print and electronic media perceived as opponents of the Chairmanship Candidate from the Ministry of Information, Mrs Adeola Ekine, who has also confirmed in Television interviews the role physically played at the venue of the NAWOJ election by Mr Adeyemi and some Directors from the ministry on May 23.
I was rough-handled as one Tunde Olalere ordered thugs to beat me up. It must be noted that only women from the Lagos State Ministry of Information, the Federal Ministry of Information and about three other chapels in their support, were allowed to vote as opposition candidates and their supporters were assaulted and prevented from the exercise. At the end of the day, the candidate from the Lagos State Ministry of Information was declared the winner of the election with 296 votes to 16 despite the Court Order.
The next day after the fraudulent exercise, Mrs Omowole’s lawyer and that of her partner, Primewaters, appeared at the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) court that was mediating in her housing fraud case with subscribers and told the Judge that the subscribers would have to kiss their money goodbye and that they were ready to meet them in the regular court.
We knew that was where the whole game would end and we had raised the alarm earlier that Mrs Omowole was out to hijack the election process in order to kill efforts being made to bring her to justice. After suffering the inaction of the past national and state leadership of NUJ in the last three years regarding the housing fraud, some of the subscribers even reported those involved to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Mrs Omowole openly boasted that nothing would come out of EFCC and truly, the EFCC stopped working on the fraud case.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The law-abiding members of NAWOJ who hold the constitution sacrosanct are determined to maintain the status quo until the matter in court is decided.
We shall continue to take all lawful steps to get justice for the defrauded subscribers in the housing scheme. There shall be no retreat and no surrender in our collective struggle for justice, as we rest assured that the harder the struggle the more glorious shall be the triumph.
We call on the leadership of EFCC in Lagos to summon the courage to issue a report on their findings after two years of investigation and proceed to do the needful.
We also call on the leadership of NUJ and NAWOJ to offset the medical bills incurred by Mrs Tessy Igomu and we demand a letter of apology from the Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy on our injured member and vice-chairmanship candidate by one of the violent meddlesome interlopers brought to the venue of the election who has now been identified.
And lastly, we appeal to the outgoing and incoming governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu to reign in Mr Fola Adeyemi, Mrs Toro Oladapo and other staff of the ministry who decided to unleash terror on innocent Journalists and prevent Bailiff from serving Court Order, all in the name of winning election. Such behaviour is unexpected of their position.
Thank you for your precious time.
Signed:
Hajia SEKINAH TEMITOPE LAWAL Chairperson Women Journalists Lagos-Nigeria