The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Abia State Council, has appealed to the Abia State government to dialogue with the leadership of military formations over the strategy of forcing commuters to alight from their vehicles and trek across checkpoints.
The NUJ made the appeal in a communique at the end of its congress held at the union’s secretariat in Umuahia and signed by the Chairman of NUJ, Abia State, Victor Ndukwe and the Secretary, Ikechuckwu Onuegbu
The NUJ expressed dissatisfaction that passengers were being forced to alight from their vehicles and made to trek while passing the checkpoints, before being allowed to continue their journeys.
According to the communique , the ugly experience was being noted at NNPC Mega station along Umuahia/Okigwe axis of Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Umuahia-Uzuakoli Road, among other spots.
It described the practice as dehumanizing and a form of torture to the passengers.
The NUJ, which commended the State Governor, Alex Otti, for offsetting the arrears of pensions owed by past administrations, however, drew the Otti’s attention to the plights of retirees of the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia (BCA) and the National Ambassador Newspapers (Abia Newspaper) who have not been paid their pensions for about nine months.
“The development has exposed the affected pensioners to the current harsh economic realities.
“Information available to Congress shows that about eight pensioners of BCA have passed away within the period under review reportedly as a result of their inability to fund their medication occasioned by lack of money,” it said.
The union appealed to the Governor to ensure that the affected retirees who have already been verified were paid.
They equally thanked Governor Alex Otto for appointing a member of NUJ, Francis Nwaubani as the acting Director General of Broadcasting Corporation of Abia (BCA) while urging the new DG to uplift the station.