By Umar Sa’id Moh’d Bauchi
Participants at the public hearing for the amendment of the constitution of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Bauchi State Council have advocated the renewal of practicing license of members annually and a slot assign only for women during elections.
The parctipants who made their feelings known in Bauchi over the weekend at the public hearing organized by the State Council committee on constitutional review said the constitution of the NUJ was due for amendment long ago as it remains the only guiding documents for the members of the pen profession.
They admitted that the current constitution is no longer workable and stressed the need for all hands to be on deck towards changing it to stand the test of time.
One of them who is also the state chairman constitution drafting committee Alhaji Sani Muhammad called for strict adherence to the registration of only qualified members to safeguard the image of the profession.
On her part a female participant, Elizabeth Carr calls for a proposed slot to be assigned only for women at the national and states’ councils elections to give them sense of belonging.
In a submission the state Chairman of the NUJ Comrade Umar Sa’idu stressed the need for the States’ congresses to be held five times in a year and that any Exco whom vote of no confidence was passed against him shall not contest any election until after five years.
The state council of the NUJ has recently inaugurated the constitution review committee under the Chaimanship of Sani Muhammad to collect inputs from relevant stakeholders, made amendments on some of the clauses for onward submission to the national secretariat of the union.
