BY EDIDIONGUDOBIA
“Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.” –Jim Rohn
Just in case this walk down memory lane gets me into trouble, let me first of all console myself with the words of Winston Churchill, who said “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it”. Yes, I intend to write history; the history of AkwaIbom State NUJ under Patrick Albert. Yes, history but a ‘new’ kind of history. New because I don’t intend to go back in time; nor do I intend to dim the light of previous administrations just to illuminate the present administration. No mud-slinging. I intend to write the history of the last two years.
So sometime in 2013, Elder Patrick Albert, the then Chairman of Pioneer Chapel, publicly declared his intention to run for the office of the State Chairman. He further sent a strong message on how serious he was when he obtained Form 001 which made him the first aspirant to put his money where his mouth was. Of course, wild consultations and campaigns began and after months, weeks and days of intense politicking within and outside the union by various aspirants and their supporters, the die was cast on Thursday, August 1, 2013.
“For the position of chairman, Joe Effiong scored 138 votes, while Patrick Albert scored 236 votes…” That was the verdict of the electoral committee that ended months of rowdy speculations, suspense, politicking, and the thug-of-war which almost ripped the union apart. To some like me who were firmly on the other side of the divide, Patrick Albert’s victory was such a bitter pill to swallow. So all we could do was pat ourselves on the back and go home. The election was free, fair and transparent so there was no basis to appeal the outcome.
As days passed by, I kept assuring myself that it will only be a matter of time before we realize that running a union that has no budgetary allocation or a stable source of revenue, “Consolidation” was a far better option than “Rebirth”. For instance, every time Patrick Albert reiterated that “the proposed Model Press Center will have a mini Club House, 25 Guest Room Hotel, 300 Capacity ICT Centre, 750-1000 capacity Auditorium, office complex and shops…” I just kept wondering if he had forgotten that election was long over because to me, some things in his 14-points agenda were just unachievable.
However, two years down the line, Patrick Albert has left no one in doubt on his resolve to fulfill all his campaign promises. From where I am standing, it is crystal clear that from human empowerment to the infrastructure, the AkwaIbom Council of NUJ is witnessing a complete rebirth. It is very obvious that Elder Albert is poised and committed to bring the NUJ Rebirth Project to reality. In fact, besides the NUJ Press Center (which is already in progress), NUJ Estate and Media Museum, Patrick Albert has fulfilled all his Rebirth promises in just two years.
In his manifesto, he promised that under him, the State Working Committee (SWC) “will work as a team – united in purpose to collectively drive the vision for the actualization of the expected change…” and for State Executive Council (SEC), he promised to create a robust atmosphere “for SEC to be actively involved in the management of the affairs of the State Council”. In addition, he also promised to expand SEC by including NAWOJ and SWAN leadership. Today, the state chairman of SWAN, Mr. UwemEkoh and his NAWOJ counterpart, Mrs. Margret Edem are both proud members of SEC.
Speaking recently, the state auditor and a member of SWC, Mr. Ephraim Ikpe confirmed that Elder Albert has fulfilled his campaign promise in this regard. According to him, though managing people has never been an easy task, the chairman has ensured that every SWC and SEC member has a say in the running of the union. He commended Patrick Albert’s leadership style and his mature disposition when faced with challenges. In his words “Patrick Albert is an open-ended man and a leader with a good heart. If it was not so I would have told you”.
His other campaign promises were; setting up of special committees; ensuring vibrant and healthy chapels; holding regular congresses; professional training for members; organizing interactive platforms; welfare of members; solemn assembly; NUJ family day; incorporating the veterans and ensuring a good relation between the government and the media. Today, the welfare, chaplaincy, disciplinary and other special committees are up and doing. With procurement of buses for chapels, securing over 100 laptops for members and organizing regular training for members, Elder Albert has injected vibrancy into the union which in turn has spurred journalists in the state to attain professional excellence.
Before Patrick Albert assumed office in 2013, the NUJ secretariat was most often deserted because of its near forest outlook. He met a Press Center with one storey building in dilapidated state with wooden doors and worn-out burglaries. The Centre was hitherto a choice destination for criminals. With a 6KVA generator that could barely power the secretariat and a relatively small conference hall without proper ventilation, journalists rarely visited the Press Center. This perhaps, was responsible for the low turnout of members during congresses in previous administrations.
Patrick Albert immediately announced his arrival as the new NUJ boss when he ensured that the forest which almost covered the Press Center was cleared. His next move was dialoguing with the host community in order to recover the large expanse of the union’s land which was taken over by the locals. Once that was done, the fencing project commenced and within few months the Press Centre was completely secured. Finally, members and regular visitors to the Secretariat had sighs of a huge relieve. But while they were still relishing the attractive ambience of the somewhat new Secretariat, the big one came. It was the much awaited ground breaking ceremony of the International Press Centre by the then state governor, Godswill Akpabio.
Today, while work at the International Press Centre is at top speed, Elder Albert has ensured that even the temporary Press Center is completely transformed from what it used to be through massive renovation. The Secretariat now has 60KVA and 150KVA generating sets. The conference hall is now wearing a brand new look and well ventilated. The Secretariat now has an ICT centre with a functional internet for members to use at their convenience and it’s free of charge. There is also a spacious viewing centre with two giant-size Plasma TVs for members to indulge themselves.
Nevertheless, what seems to be Patrick Albert’s biggest achievement so far is the International Press Center which is in progress. Like I noted earlier, the union has no particular budgetary allocation or stable source of revenue but how Elder Albert has managed to pull this very stunt, is still a miracle. Yes, former governor Akpabio while performing the ground breaking ceremony promised a N100million seed fund – a promise he kept. But if you have been privileged to see the cubicle called the NUJ national Secretariat at No. 5, Mombassa Street, Zone 5, Wuse, Abuja which has gulped over N50million, then you will understand that Patrick Albert is a miracle worker.
According to its design, the International Press Center has a mini club which is near completion; a two-storey office complex; a 25/30 bedroom guest house and a 1000 capacity auditorium. The chairman, while on site inspection recently, assured that “with everything in place, all the projects should be completed in 16months”. What this means that barring any unnecessary delay(s), distraction, or unforeseen circumstance(s), Patrick Albert will deliver all his “Rebirth” promises before his current tenure expires on Monday, August 1, 2016. That will be history in the making.
Happy 2nd Anniversary to you, sir!
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