Former President of the Nigeria and African Union of Journalists, Lanre Ogundipe, has called on the Oyo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) to urgently establish the status of organisations claiming to represent veteran journalists in the state.
Ogundipe also urged the council to clarify whether a proposed lecture scheduled for October 26 at the NUJ Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, has received official approval to use the facility.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the former journalists’ union leader expressed concern over the proposed lecture, reportedly being organised by an organisation presenting itself as a body of veteran journalists, while the League of Veteran Journalists, Oyo State, is already operating within the state’s journalism community.
He explained that his concern was not to challenge the right of individuals to establish independent associations, but to ensure clarity regarding institutional representation within the NUJ environment and the appropriate use of the union’s facilities.
According to him, the Oyo NUJ Council should resolve the matter through administrative procedures rather than allow it to generate unnecessary confrontation among members of the journalism community.
Ogundipe called on the council to take three immediate steps: verify the status of the organisations concerned through its records, determine whether the October 26 lecture has been authorised to use the NUJ Press Centre, and formally communicate its decision to the parties involved before the event.
He stressed that the council should apply its decision consistently, adding that any organisation authorised to use the Press Centre should operate under clearly stated conditions.
Conversely, he maintained that an organisation without the necessary authorisation should not be granted access to the facility for an event presented as an NUJ-related activity.
The former union president underscored the importance of veteran journalists to the profession, describing them as custodians of valuable institutional memory who should serve as a bridge between older and younger generations of media practitioners.
He noted that organisations established to represent veteran journalists should complement one another’s contributions to the profession and promote unity rather than create uncertainty over representation.
Ogundipe further clarified that he was not asking the NUJ to prevent any independent association from existing. Rather, he said, his appeal was for the Oyo State Council to exercise its responsibility over its institutional space and facilities by making an evidence-based determination of which organisations are authorised to operate within that environment.
He urged the council to make its position known before the proposed October 26 lecture, expressing the hope that a timely and transparent decision would prevent avoidable disagreements and preserve unity within the journalism community in Oyo State.
The statement was electronically signed by Lanre Ogundipe, former President of the Nigeria and African Union of Journalists, and dated October 20, 2026.
