The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, has passed a vote of confidence in several initiatives of the Ondo State Government while calling for urgent action on worsening security, poor waste management, road infrastructure and staffing challenges in federal media organisations.
The resolutions were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the union’s monthly congress held on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at the NUJ Press Centre, Alagbaka, Akure. The congress was presided over by the State Chairman, Prince Leke Adegbite, with members from all chapels in attendance.
In a major resolution, the congress unanimously empowered the state leadership of the union to name the biggest hall at the NUJ Press Centre after the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Wisdom Olawande, in recognition of his interventions in upgrading facilities at the union’s secretariat.
The congress also appealed to the Federal Government to urgently address the manpower shortage and inadequate funding affecting the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Voice of Nigeria (VON), stressing that sufficient staffing is critical to effective public service broadcasting.
On state affairs, the journalists commended Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa and the Ondo State House of Assembly for the timely enactment of the law incorporating Owena Press, publishers of The Hope newspaper.
The union, however, urged the Commissioner for Information, Hon. Idowu Ajanaku, and the new Head of Service, Chief Segun Odusanya, to ensure the full implementation of the law establishing the Ondo State Government Printing and Publishing Corporation.
The congress further applauded the national leadership of the NUJ under Comrade Alhassan Yahya for organising the National Security Summit in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), urging relevant authorities to implement the summit’s recommendations to tackle insecurity across the country.
The journalists also endorsed the ongoing construction of the Akure flyover on Oba Adesida Road, describing it as a landmark project, while urging the state government and contractors to ensure timely completion.
They also called for stricter enforcement against illegal parking by commercial tricycle and motorcycle operators along Arakale Road to ease traffic congestion during the construction period.
The union further appealed to the state government to fast-track ongoing road projects across Ondo State and criticised the slow pace of work on the Akure-Owo-Benin dualisation project, especially the Akure-Ogbese axis. It advised the contractor to complete one carriageway before commencing work on the other to minimise traffic disruption.
The congress expressed concern over the increasing number of accidents caused by motorists violating traffic lights within Akure metropolis and urged the Ministry of Transport and law enforcement agencies to intensify enforcement and sanction offenders.
On security, the NUJ raised the alarm over what it described as the growing influx of unfamiliar able-bodied men and women posing as beggars or mentally unstable persons in Akure and other parts of the state, warning that the development could pose serious security risks if left unchecked.
The journalists also decried the deteriorating waste management situation across the state, warning that parts of Akure are gradually turning into refuse dumps.
The congress urged the state government to procure more waste disposal equipment, deploy additional operational vehicles and recruit more personnel to strengthen sanitation efforts.
The congress concluded by commending the peaceful conduct of the Ondo South Senatorial bye-election by INEC and other stakeholders and congratulated Senator (Prof.) Adedayo Faduyile on his victory and subsequent inauguration into the National Assembly.
