Oyo NUJ Must Resolve Veteran Journalists’ Groups’ Status — Ogundipe
…As Former journalists’ union leader seeks clarification before October 26 lecture
Former President of the Nigeria and African Union of Journalists, Lanre Ogundipe, has called on the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to clarify the status of organisations presenting themselves as associations of veteran journalists in the state.
Ogundipe made the call in a press statement dated October 20, 2026, following reports of a lecture scheduled for October 26 at the NUJ Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, organised by an organisation presenting itself as a body of veteran journalists.
He noted that the League of Veteran Journalists, Oyo State, was already operating within the state’s journalism community, urging the NUJ to establish the status of the organisations concerned and determine whether the proposed lecture had been authorised to use its facility.
Ogundipe called on the council to verify the organisations’ status from its records, confirm the approval for the proposed event and formally communicate its decision to the parties before the scheduled date.
He stressed that any organisation authorised to use the NUJ Press Centre should operate under clearly defined conditions, while those without approval should not be granted access to the facility for activities presented as NUJ-related events.
The former journalists’ union leader clarified that his position was not aimed at preventing any independent association from existing, but at ensuring that the NUJ exercised its responsibility over its facilities and resolved the matter through established administrative procedures.
He added that veteran journalists deserved respect for their experience and institutional memory, urging their organisations to promote unity within the profession rather than create uncertainty over representation.
Ogundipe urged the Oyo NUJ Council to resolve the matter before October 26 to prevent an avoidable division within the journalism community.
