The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has fixed November 24-26, 2023 as date for the Association’s Triennial National Delegates Conference with the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja as venue.
A statement signed on Friday by the National Secretary of NAWOJ, Helen Udofa said this was one of the decisions taken during the Association’s online NEC Meeting, presided by the President of NAWOJ, Comrade Ladi Bala, which held on Thursday, October 19, 2023.
With this decision, NAWOJ NEC, which is the highest decision making body of the Association, has shifted the date of the Delegates Conference by nine days from November 15, 2023.
The date had been earlier announced during the inauguration of a 9-Member Credentials Committee to midwife the process for the conduct of elections into the NAWOJ Central Working Committee (CWC), which will be the climax of the 2023 Triennial National Delegates Conference of the Association.
The NEC, in session, recalled that at its previous online meeting on September 16, 2023, it was resolved that the Triennial National Delegates Conference should hold in the last weekend of November 2023.
This was following information, during the meeting, that Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States would be having their Governorship elections on November 11, 2023, in addition to concerns about security and logistic challenges.
After careful deliberation on the issue, the Chairperson of Oyo State Chapter of NAWOJ, Jadesola Ajibola, moved a motion that: “the Triennial National Delegates Conference of NAWOJ be shifted from November 15, 2023, by nine days, to November 24-26, 2023, to give ample time for States to mobilize, prepare and also get logistics to transport delegates to the Conference”.
The motion was duly seconded by the Chairperson of Gombe State Chapter of NAWOJ, Bome Samutar.
The NEC in Session also discussed the issue of a suitable and convenient venue for the conference and it was resolved through a motion by the Chairperson of Adamawa State Chapter, Rose Elishama, that “the forthcoming Triennial National Delegates Conference of NAWOJ be held in Abuja at Maryam Babangida Women Development Centre.”
The motion was duly seconded by the Chairperson of Rivers State Chapter of NAWOJ, Susan Serekara-Nwikhana.
Considering the fact that the NEC in session had shifted the date for the Delegates Conference by nine days, the NEC in its wisdom, saw the need to unanimously and legally extend the tenure of the current Central Working Committee (CWC) of the Association.
This was captured in a motion as follows: that, “in view of the fact that the date of the Triennial National Delegates Conference has been moved by nine days from November 15th to November 24-26, 2023, as earlier agreed upon during the last NEC Meeting that was held online on September 16, 2023, I, Nene Dung, Chairperson of Plateau State Chapter of NAWOJ, hereby move a motion for the extension of the tenure of the current CWC of NAWOJ pending when the Delegates Conference shall take place and the CWC be properly dissolved in line with Article 13(1) of the NUJ Constitution”.
The motion was seconded by the Chairperson of Benue State Chapter of NAWOJ, Elizabeth Achagh.
The NEC thanked the 9-Member Credentials Committee for kick-starting the process for the National election of NAWOJ and wished the National Secretariat of the Association a successful hosting of the 2023 Triennial National Delegates Conference in Abuja.
