By: Paul Williams
The Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has appointed BusinessDay’s regional editor, Ignatius Chukwu, to lead its first-ever media summit committee.
Chukwu, a renowned journalist with over 47 years experience both in Benue and Rivers states, has specialised in Business Reporting for over 20 years.
The appointment was announced in Port Harcourt at the weekend when the union said the summit is part of efforts to highlight Rivers State as an investment destination
A statement issued by the secretary of the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Dr Ijeoma Tubosia, said the council constituted a committee named as the Rivers Media Summit Committee as part of its efforts to highlight the investment potentials of the state.
Tubosia said the committee which was inaugurated earlier was tasked with the responsibility of organizing a media summit in October 2025, to change the narrative from reporting only political crisis to investments in tourism and to build unity among members of the union.
She added that the establishment of these committee was aimed at fostering better engagement with international oil corporations (IOCs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the business community, Governments, as well as well-meaning individuals in the State.
For this reason, the NUJ reached into the depths of its membership and picked seasoned practitioners from both state and national layers to accomplish the sensitive and all-important task.
The union also named Olalekan Ige (editor of Independent Monitor), Stanley Job (immediate past state chairman of NUJ), Ike Wigodo (immediate past state secretary), Owupele Benibo (press secretary, office of the deputy governor), Ijeoma Tubosia (state secretary of the NUJ), Opaka Dokubo (national vice president, south-south), Lilian Okonkwo-Agabu (national vice chairperson of NAWOJ, south-south), and Susan Serekara Nwikhana (state chairperson of NAWOJ) as members.
It also got Godswill Jumbo (publisher of Kristina Reports), Jerry Needam (publisher of National Network), and Umannah Ofonime (publisher of TNN/Goshen TV) as members.
Others are; Segun Owolabi (General Manager of Super FM), Amaechi Okonkwo (chairman of the Correspondents Chapel), Sotonye Fulton (publisher of Gist Magazine), and Titus Eze (regional manager of Asset newspaper) as well as Tonye Dick, Lekia Anya Godpower, John Bibor, Helen Nsirim, Justice Ihunwo, Kingsley Amajiri of NTA, Peter Abaje of AIT, and Desire Lordson of Federal Radio Corporation.
Tubosia, who announced Monica Ogwa of Silverbird and Rhythm FM as secretary, said the council is confident in the capacity of the carefully selected personalities to deliver on the mandate and help journalists in the state set a proper agenda for public communication toward a deviation from negative outbursts in the state to an agenda for economic development and investment, using tourism as first point of attention.
Responding at the inauguration, Chukwu said the task was unwieldy but that with determination, the committee and all members of the Union would help the state to carve a new path.
