Tension is currently brewing amongst the executives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Delta State Council, as four members of the seven man executives has petitioned the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe and the Secretary, Comrade Victor Sorokwu over an alleged gross financial misconduct,abuse of power and high handedness.
A copy of the petition sighted by the Southernvoicenews.com and addressed to the National President of the Union and the Secretary respectively read;GROSS FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT, ABUSE OF OFFICE AND HIGH-HANDEDNESS BY THE CHAIRMAN, NUJ DELTA STATE COUNCIL, COMRADE CHURCHILL OYOWE IN CONNIVANCE WITH THE STATE SECRETARY, COMRADE VICTOR SOROKWU
Preamble:
When the present executive of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Delta State Council came on board through a popularly acclaimed peaceful and widely accepted election on October 18, 2023, it had a clear mandate to provide a transparent and accountable leadership that would further engender the peace and unity amongst members of the council.
Unfortunately, one year and three months into the administration, the focus of the executive is being derailed by the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe in connivance with the State Secretary, Comrade Victor Sorokwu. The need, therefore, to avert the Council being thrown into factionalization and anarchy necessitated this petition.
ISSUES
1.GROSS FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT:
a) Usurpation of the office of the Treasurer
The State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe, is now in possession of the Union’s cheque booklet and, in conznivance with the State Secretary, Victor Sorokwu, makes withdraws from time to time without the knowledge of the Treasurer.
The State Treasurer has been sidelined and does not have any knowledge of the income and expenditure of the state council.
b) Sidelining of the State Financial Secretary
In a sane clime, the financial secretary is supposed to have a record of the income of the union documented before expenditures are made. As at the time of filing this petition, the Financial Secretary does not have any record of income coming to the council as the Chairman and Secretary have made it a point of duty to receive and spend only to brief the SWC at a later date.
C) Receiving into personal account and Spending of Union Monies: The State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe receives monies meant for the State Council either in cash or transfers into his bank account, appropriates and disburses same without the knowledge or approval of the SWC.
Below are some recent instances of incomes that accrued to the union and expended without recourse to SWC.
i) Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00) from Delta State Government and another One Million Naira from Delta State Ministry of Information to support the State Council’s 2024 Press Week: Despite the setting up of a Press Week committee for the event, the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe was the one that received the five million naira and without recourse to the SWC appropriated the money. The question is, if it was the Committee that received the money, then the committee should have spent the money and defended the spending. Instead, Comrade Churchill Oyowe, after spending the five million naira plus the One Million Naira he collected from the State Ministry of Information, called for a SWC meeting, during which he informed the SWC for the first time about it and how he spent the total of Six Million Naira.
ii) Visit to the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly: On January 28, 2025, the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe led just two members of the SWC on a courtesy visit to the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly. Despite Comrade Oyowe sending a text message to the State Treasurer, Comrade Caroline Ubini less than one hour before the visit, received and disbursed the money from the visit.
iii) The first payment of Three Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naria (N3,300,000.00) by the vendor for the State Secretariat was paid into the account of the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe. He only later transferred part of the money to the State Treasurer after personally appropriating it. Also, the second vendor (Ben Okolie) paid Two Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N2,400,000.00) into the personal account of Comrade Oyowe, which he appropriated and briefed the SWC later about it.
iv) The State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe, is involved in the collection of an undisclosed amount from the Ministry of Information monthly through his personal account.
v) Income and expenditure on the ongoing Lockup shops and execution of the project solely by the Chairman and Secretary.
vi) Several approvals for Secretariat plumbing and wiring have not been carried out.
vii) Constant withdrawal of money from the Union’s account without spending.
viii) Non-disclosure and withholding of the 2024 Christmas honorarium from Government House to SWC.
Following the above points raised, it is obvious that Chairman Churchill Oyowe and the Secretary, Comrade Victor Sorokwu, have contravened the following sections of the NUJ Constitution as amended.
Article 4 (4a) for entering into different agreements with individuals in NUJ without recourse to the National Secretariat.
Article 5 Section C 5 & 6,
for receiving funds meant for the union into personal accounts and starving the Treasurer and Financial Secretary of financial transactions of the union.
ABUSE OF OFFICE:
A) *Official engagements and visits without notice of the SWC*: It is a common practice by the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe, in connivance with the State Secretary, Comrade Victor Sorokwu, to engage in official correspondents and scheduled visits without knowledge of the SWC. Members of the SWC are neither called nor informed about most engagements even via the SWC Whatsapp group. Recent cases were the visit and presentation of an award to Senator Ned Nwoko by the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe and the State Secretary, Comrade Victor Soroku, without the knowledge of the SWC and the courtesy visit to the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly. On both visits, the notices were not communicated to members of the SWC.
This also runs against the provision of the NUJ Constitution as enshrined in Article 5 Section C subsection 13.
B) *STATE SECRETARIAT*: In a historic and memorable ceremony, the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, some months before his exit in 2023, inaugurated and handed a brand new edifice to serve as a secretariat for the NUJ Delta State Council situated on Maryam Babangida Way, Asaba, to the immediate past State Executive led by Comrade Michael Ikeogwu. Unfortunately, the aesthetic look of the edifice has been greatly eroded by the unilateral decisions of the chairman. Apart from the ongoing construction of lockup shops was the idea of the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe and the State Secretary, Victor Soroku, foisted on members of the State Working Committee at a meeting, both of them, without the approval of the SWC, have turned the secretariat into their enterprise. The once-admired edifice has been greatly defaced and turned into a market square without recourse to the SWC nor the State Executive Council (SEC).
The projects being embarked upon by the Council Chairman and Secretary run foul of Article 4 Section 5 a & b as these projects are being financed by an alleged partner.
From the foregoing, four out of the seven elected members of the SWC hereby pass a vote of no confidence on the State Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe and the State Secretary, Comrade Victor Sorokwu.
OUR PRAYER:
We call for the suspension from office of the Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe and the State Secretary, Comrade Victor Sorokwu, to pave the way for a transparent and unbiased investigation of the above acts of gross financial misconduct, high handedness and flagrant abuse of office.
We humbly anticipate your response.
1. State Vice Chairman – Comrade Felix Ekwu
2. State Assistant Secretary – Comrade Josephine Iroro
3. State Treasurer – Comrade Caroline Ubini
4. State Financial – Comrade Polycarp Orosevwotu
Cc Vice President/Secretary, NUJ Zone F
As at the time of filing this report, it is not clear if the petition has been served to the affected officers, but feelers shows that the petitioners are fully prepared for a show down with the state chairman whom they alleged is usurping the office of other officers.