Southwest NUJ To Honour Aregbesola At Forthcoming Investiture

• The former Osun State Governor will be conferred with an award of excellence by the apex union of professional journalists in Nigeria.
• According to the zonal wing of the union, the investiture is to honour the Minister’s laudable contributions to journalism through the instrumentality of his good office over the years.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (Southwest Zone) is set to honour Nigeria’s Minister of Interior and former governor of Osun state, Rauf Aregbesola for his contributions to journalism in his native Osun and Southwestern Nigeria by extension.

The investiture, which is slated to hold on March 26, 2021 at the NUJ Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan will witness the conferment of an award of excellence on the former Governor whose support to the growth of journalism has not gone unnoticed by the Southwestern zone of the umbrella union of professional journalists in Nigeria.

Bamigbola Gbolagunte, zonal secretary of the union, who confirmed the investiture to EKO HOT BLOG said Aregbesola’s contributions to journalism, particularly during his eight years stint as Governor of Osun State is the driving force behind the honour.

“The number one reason why we considered him for the award is good governance when he was governor of Osun. He transformed the state and his achievements are there up till today; specifically in the media industry, when he was governor he employed so many journalists who are still working up till today at the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation,” Mr. Gbolagunte said.

READ ALSO: Buhari, APC, Failed To Deliver Campaign Promises – Gov Fayemi

“He also refurbished the Reality Broadcasting Service in Iwo and procured two buses the same day for the NUJ, Osun State council. He established three media houses, one is the Freedom Television in Illesa, the other one is Unique FM, also in Illesa and also Defender Newspaper in Osogbo. He also set up the Bureau of Communication and Strategy.”

“He is very accessible to journalists and even non-journalists when he was serving as Governor, and even now that he is Minister of Interior, he is still accessible to journalists. He also sponsored journalists on foreign trips to Cuba. All these and so many others is the reason why we considered him for that honour.”

Rauf Aregbesola, who served as Osun State Governor between 2010-2018 after a protracted legal battle saw the nullification of the re-election of erstwhile governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, is currently Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, a position he has held since August 2019.