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Outrage Erupts Over Exorbitant Nomination Fees Ahead of Kwara NUJ 2024 Elections

ByHybridNewsNg

Jun 24, 2024

The Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Credentials Screening Committee has ignited widespread outrage following the announcement of the nomination fees for the upcoming council elections. The fees, disclosed on June 23, 2024, via the council’s WhatsApp platform, have been met with severe criticism from members across various chapels.

The committee has set the non-refundable nomination fee for the positions of Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer at Two Hundred Thousand Naira (₦200,000.00) each. Meanwhile, the fee for the roles of Vice-Chairman, Assistant Secretary, Financial Secretary, and Auditor is One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (₦150,000.00) each.

Members have condemned these fees as exorbitant and out of reach for many potential candidates. The sentiment among the chapels is that these fees are almost on par with those for national offices and even surpass the fees for local government chairmanship nominations in Kwara State, which are capped at One Hundred Thousand Naira (₦100,000.00).

In reaction to the outcry, the State Executive Council (SEC) of the NUJ Kwara Council has sent a letter of appeal to the national secretariat, urging intervention. The SEC’s letter calls on the national leadership to persuade the credentials committee to reduce the nomination fees to Fifty Thousand Naira (₦50,000.00) for the Chairmanship position and correspondingly lower amounts for the other positions.

The SEC argues that the current economic situation in the country renders the high fees untenable and unfair to NUJ members who wish to engage in the democratic process. They emphasize that these fees present a significant financial barrier, restricting the pool of aspirants to only those who can afford such costs. This, they argue, undermines the principles of democracy and equal opportunity that are central to the NUJ’s values and mission.

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