The Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has expressed its desire to strengthen collaboration with the Etche Local Government Council. The call was made during a courtesy visit by the NUJ delegation, led by its Chairman, Comrade Paul Bazia, to the Executive Chairman of Etche Local Government Area, Hon. Boniface Chima Njoku.
Speaking during the visit, Comrade Bazia congratulated Hon. Njoku on his recent electoral victory and commended the remarkable progress recorded within his first three months in office. He described the achievements as unprecedented, particularly praising the administration’s decisive action against land grabbers—an issue that had previously posed a major threat to peace and development in Etche.
According to the NUJ Chairman, the successful containment of land grabbing has restored Etche’s status as the food basket of Rivers State. He also lauded the procurement of 500KVA transformers for nearly all 19 wards, a move he said would boost power supply and enhance economic activity across the LGA.
Comrade Bazia further highlighted other notable achievements of the Njoku administration, including the purchase of landed property for councillors—an initiative he said would promote harmony between the executive and legislative arms of the council. He urged the chairman to sustain the momentum of development and assured him of the union’s support as a “mirror of society.”
In his response, Hon. Njoku thanked the NUJ delegation for the visit and pledged to partner with the union in promoting good governance and accountability. He outlined some of the challenges his administration met on assumption of office, including land grabbing, insecurity, and poor power supply, noting that significant progress had been made in tackling them.
The chairman also listed several ongoing projects, such as the construction of a corps members’ lodge, a chairman’s lodge, and the renovation of the council headquarters—developments he said have transformed Etche into “a construction site.”
Hon. Njoku disclosed that his administration has successfully connected the LGA to the Band A category of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) for improved power supply and added that the council currently offsets electricity bills on behalf of residents.
He reaffirmed the allocation of N120 million for councillors’ personal landed property, an initiative aimed at curbing the post-tenure financial hardship commonly experienced by former councillors.
The chairman assured the NUJ of his readiness to collaborate with the union for the advancement of the LGA.
“Let me congratulate and thank you for coming. As a council, we promise to partner with you in the discharge of your duties,” Hon. Njoku said.
