By Maryann Awuya
The Digital Content Editor of Per Second News, Joycelyn Ellakeche Adah, has emerged Chairman of the Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN) following a peaceful election conducted and supervised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council.
Adah will lead the association for a two- year tenure, alongside other newly elected members of the executive committee.
The election, which marked a new chapter for EMCAN after a period of interim administration, also produced Samuel Adeyinka of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) as Secretary, Abigael Ifelayo of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as Treasurer, and Zeniat Abubakar of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) as Welfare and Publicity Secretary respectively.
The election was conducted as part of efforts by the NUJ FCT Council to help resolve longstanding concerns within the association and provide a platform for members to reunite, reconcile their differences and reposition EMCAN as a stronger professional body.
The NUJ FCT Council commended members for the peaceful and orderly conduct of the election, describing the development as an opportunity for renewed unity, transparency, accountability and professional growth.
The Council Chairman, Comrade Grace Ike, who was represented by the Council Secretary, Jide Oyekunle, urged members to put past disagreements behind them and work together to rebuild the association.
Oyekunle said the need for both pioneer and newer members to have a sense of belonging, while charging the new leadership to place the collective interests of members above individual considerations.
He also urged the association to strengthen professional collaboration among environmental correspondents and deepen its engagement with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), international development partners and other stakeholders.
According to him, stronger collaboration would help broaden the scope and quality of environmental reporting in Nigeria.
The NUJ FCT Council also charged the new executive to make members’ welfare, professional development, transparency and accountability key priorities of the administration.
Announcithe results, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Chidi Ugwu, announced Adah as the winner of the chairmanship position with 30 votes.
In her acceptance speech, the new EMCAN Chairman thanked the NUJ FCT Council and the outgoing interim leadership for providing what she described as a peaceful transition and a level playing field for the election.
Adah appealed to the pioneer trustees and members of the association to give the new administration their support and cooperation as it begins the task of repositioning EMCAN.
She said the new administration would focus on building a more united and inclusive association while promoting professional excellence, members’ welfare and stronger opportunities for environmental journalists.
Adah further called for the collective support of members in building an association where every environmental correspondent would have a sense of belonging and the opportunity to contribute to its growth.
She said EMCAN must move beyond internal differences and focus on its core responsibility of strengthening environmental journalism and ensuring that issues affecting the environment receive the attention they deserve.
Members who participated in the election congratulated the new executives and expressed optimism that the new administration would justify the confidence reposed in it by pursuing initiatives that would positively impact members and strengthen the association.
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