Saturday 8 September 2012

MY COVENANT WITH FEDERATED CHAPEL MEMBERS BEING A MISSION STATEMENT BY COMRADE EPHRAIM IKPE DURING MANIFESTO PRESENTATION AT NUJ PRESS CENTRE BEFORE FEDERATED CHAPEL’S ELECTION 2012.


My beloved colleagues, thanks for being part of this history-making day.  A people cannot be governed by any person without their consent.  It is your right to be told how we would drive an almost sinking boat(our Chapel) to the shores without rocking it.  In stepping out to wear the shoes of service in the office of the Chairman of our Chapel, I am not oblivious of the burden and challenges associated with this office.  I am not unaware of your clamour for change in the ways of doing things and perhaps looking for new ways of doing new things.  But, I salute your courage, tact and patience for waiting up until now for that long expected change to come.  You and I represent that change.  The change will not come until you cast your vote wisely for a symbol of humility, simplicity, accessibility, accountability, and respect for persons, service above self and resourceful leadership. With due respect to your sensibilities and without prejudices to your persons, I stand for these symbols.
In offering myself to be your chief servant, on my honour, I promise to pursue the following programmes in three years:
1.     To ensure that known and unknown means and ways are pursued to procure a functional Secretariat for the Chapel within the shortest possible time.
2.     To run a functional Bar and ancilliary  services(internet facilities like laptops, modem for free browsing, indoor games like Scrabble, Chess, Draught etc) in the Secretariat.
3.     To ensure that the welfare issues of members are seriously addressed thus;
(a)   Benefits accruable during events to be shared equally to all members of the Chapel duly invited to such events after taking out any percentage approved by Congress for the Chapel’s purse.
(b) To introduce a weekly programme in which members would be pleased to present their clients for interaction with Chapel members(for creation of news stories, features, interviews etc.) and the blessings there-from shared to members.

4.     To ensure that members have unfettered access to their bus for use when they have need for it.  Relations of members who have need for using the bus would do so at a token per day(to be decided by Congress) and such monies would be lodged in the Chapel’s account to foot maintenance bills of the bus when the need arises.
5.     To mount at least one Seminar or Workshop each year to sharpen the knowledge and skills of members in specific areas of Journalism practice.
6.     To hold Congresses and executive meetings in line with the provision of the Constitution of our Union.
7.     To pursue other avenues of welfare programmes for the benefit of our members, including such avenues suggested by individual members.
8.     Apart from Congresses which would create a feedback base for guidance of leadership, we would create a Suggestion Box  at the Secretariat for your suggestions, comments, inputs, observations, corrections etc as a guide post to a listening leadership.
The above and more things would be achieved within the three years mandate you would grant me within which I will wear the garb of leadership of our Chapel.
We would together pursue the above Mission with a Vision to succeed together.  I will not do it alone, but with you through Committees.  In attempt to achieve the above feats we would encounter challenges, but we would roll through together to victory and would be better for it.
However, remember that your vote is your power and no amount of money equals the quality content of your power.  Accept monetary enticements if they come your way in whatever form, name or color by political lobbyists as well as my other contestants, resist with your vote any imposition of a candidate as your leader.  Resist with your vote any leadership that would not only be accountable to you but bully you, shout you down, insult your person and blackmail you when you attempt to find answers to what goes wrong while you are being led.
When the time comes, cast your vote wisely for probity, accountability, simplicity, accessibility and a result-oriented candidate with clear cut Vision to fulfill a Mission for our benefit in the next three years.  Please, give me your mandate via your vote as I will not let you down.  This is my Covenant with you and it shall be done, by the grace of God.
Thank you and God bless.

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