Another brewing crisis may well rock the unity of the Edo State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, any time soon if nothing is done to abate the impending tensons over N4 million parting gift from Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in the Edo 2020 governorship election, to its members.
On invitation of July 31, 2020, the union and its members honoured the Media Parly by the Candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s at his residence in Ugbo Axis.
It was gathered that after the media parly, the APC candidate parted with about N4 million to members who had attended the invitation event as part of his efforts to build synergy with the pen proffessioners ahead of the 2020 Gubernatorial Election.
The said amount, was disbursed “unevenly” by some Journalists who were also involved in the missing N5million naira former Governor Oshiomhole also parted with at the peak of his reign in collaboration with his Media and Communications Director.
This act may perhaps done unknowingly to their principal who may have wished it was done rightly but with acrimony.
It was learnt that, some correspondents to leading newspapers, got over a hundred and twenty thousand naira and unfairly gave Ten thousand naira to other vibrant correspondents.
This newspaper further learnt that a living ancestor who had put in over three decades in the profession got nothing while others who deliver reports, sparingly got between thirty and twenty thousand naira as it pleases the healy perpertrators
According to an eyewitness, the unven disbursement was allegedly orchestrated by Ize-Iyamu’s Campaign Director of Communications, John Mayaki.
Nobody would have expected that, these sets of “fund hackers” who are now described as pen robbers will deny fellow journalists access to the largesse made available in an open invitations to the Union.
Recall that, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who was alleged to have swindled the N700milion Patrimony and Campaign funds in the last election is facing alleged fraud case in court having been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over his involvement.