NUJ Declares 7-day Mourning To Honour Members Killed In Auto Crash

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The national leadership of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, has declared a seven-day mourning in honour of its members who were killed in a ghastly auto crash along Ilesa- Ife express way on Friday.

NUJ national president, Alhaji Garba Mohammed, announced the seven-day mourning while addressing newsmen at the NUJ Press Centre in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

Mohammed said the death of the departed colleagues was a shock and described it as a colossal loss to the members of the pen profession.

According to him, all the NUJ activities would be suspended during the seven days of mourning, even as he directed all the state councils to open a condolence register for the departed colleagues.

He expressed appreciation to the kind gesture of Osun State government for its quick intervention, saying it shows that the government is a responsible government.

Responding on behalf of the state government, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, described the untimely death of the three journalists as a great loss.

He said the state government had decided to take care of the hospital bills of the other victims of the crash who are still recuperating at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo.

Three journalists, Olatunde Oluwanike (Federal Radio Corporation Nigeria, Ibadan); Adolphous Okonkwo (Champion newspaper) and Kafayat Odunsi (NTA Tejuosho, Ikeja, Lagos) died in the ghastly motor accident along Ilesha-Ife Expressway on Friday while returning with other colleagues from a national event in Abuja.

In a condolence statement signed by the Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Osun State governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola said the death of the journalists was an incalculable loss to the media and the entire nation.

“The death of these men of the pen profession was a sorrowful piece of news to me. The loss of three individuals was indeed terrifying and depressing.

“These were professionals, who devoted all their lives to serving their people, the nation and humanity at large. There is no gainsaying the fact that we shall miss their invaluable writings generally and their individual contributions in information dissemination for the betterment of the society.

“Even though they have gone, we should be confident to look back to the realisation that they did not pass through this earthly world in vain. They certainly left their names on the sand of time as ones who came, contributed their own widow’s mite to growth, progress and development of their father land.

“On behalf of myself and the entire people of Osun, I offer our condolences to the immediate and extended families, loved ones and well-wishers of the deceased as well as Managements and Staff of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Champion Newspaper, Nigeria Television Authority (Lagos), NUJ Lagos Chapter and national executives and Lagos State Government on this heart-breaking loss.

“We pray that Almighty God would grant all concerned the fortitude to bear the loss. And may the good Lord repose their soul eternally,” Aregbesola said.