Inusa Ndahi Marama of Vanguard Newspapers has been reelected as the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Borno Council.
He defeated his opponent, Mr. Gbenga Akinbule of Gatekeepers Online, after the 2025 triennial Congress, which took place at the NUJ Centre in Maiduguri on Saturday.
Ndahi scored 14 votes, while Akinbule received 12 votes, with one invalid vote.
Announcing the results at the end of the exercise, Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Mallam Uthman Abubakar of People Daily Newspaper, congratulated Ndahi, saying, “Having scored the highest votes, and with the powers vested in me, I declare Inusa Ndahi Marama of Vanguard Media Limited as Chairman of our great Chapel.”
In addition, Dogara Bitrus of Channels TV, who contested for the position of Assistant Secretary, defeated his opponent, Atiku Galadima of Tribune Newspaper.
Hamza Suleiman of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who was unopposed, emerged as Vice Chairman, while Mr. Ismail Alfa of the New York Times was reelected Secretary of the Chapel, also unopposed.
Other unopposed winners include Ahmed Mari of Champion Newspaper as Financial Secretary, Francis Okoye of Leadership Newspaper as Auditor, and Bilyaminu Yusuf of Radio France International as Treasurer.
Before the business session, several dignitaries attended the opening ceremony, including Professor Usman Tar, Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, who was represented by Aliyu Chamalwa, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry; Mallam Dauda Iliya, Special Adviser on Media and Spokesperson to Governor Babagana Zulum; Comrade Babasheikh Haruna, Senior Special Assistant on Media; Ahmed Buni, Senior Technical Assistant on Print and Digital Communication; and image makers of the Borno Police Command and Theatre Command North East ‘Operation Hadin Kai’. They all pledged to continue working closely with journalists, who they described as critical stakeholders in peace and national development.
The Chairmen and Secretaries of other chapels, including NTA, Federal Information, and the University of Maiduguri chapel, also graced the occasion.
Abdulkareem Haruna, Chairman of NUJ, administered the oath of office and the oath of allegiance to the newly elected leaders. He urged them to be committed and maintain an open-door policy in discharging their duties.
In his acceptance speech on behalf of the Executive Officers (EXCOs), Chairman Comrade Marama thanked everyone who sacrificed their time and resources to attend the event.
He promised to ensure transparency, accountability, and prudence at all times, stating that the welfare of his members would be his top priority.
The Chairman also expressed gratitude for the strong working relationship between journalists, the Borno State Government, the military, the police, and other organizations, emphasizing that this collaboration must be sustained.
He promised to carry everyone along in fulfilling his mandate and maintaining unity among all members.
