Exclusive: FIBAN on verge of collapse

The recently concluded national election of the Freelance and Independent Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria (FIBAN) seems to be cracking the wall of unity among its members instead of mending it, following alleged malpractices that characterised the election.

The election which took place in Osogbo, Osun state on 19th January ,2020 was said to have ended with many members and candidates not satisfied with the process.

A Source who preferred to speak with ROVING REPORTERS under the condition of anonymity said the screening which took place in January 18 in Osogbo did not follow the laid down rules.

He said “ The election was nothing to write home about. I can not imagine as a delegate ,a situation whereby candidates who came for screening could not present their credentials and to my surprise , they were qualified to contest.

Another surprise was that the incumbent president , comrade Desmond Nwachukwu presented his intentions to recontest two days to election without tendering his letter of resignation from office as stipulated by our constitution.

He was expected to have resigned and handed over to the acting president, and vice president 1 ,Alhaji Sulaimon ‘Consoligbadun’ before recontesting. ”

It was also gathered that there had been unresolved issues within the association as some aggrieved members who cut across all states have decided to drop the association and refuse to take part in any future activities of FIBAN.

Such issues include alleged corrupt practices by the leadership of the association ,non compliance with ethics of broadcast and failure to ensure sanity among members of FIBAN nationwide.

The president was also alleged to have misappropriated funds meant for the association and has failed to account for such funds.

It was also gathered that Mr. Nwachukwu has failed to address any of the issues raised by aggrieved members but rather act as a dictator ,an act many members were not comfortable with.

Another source from Lagos who was also a candidate in the just concluded election alleged that Mr Nwachukwu had ensured that people from his camp were also reelected having allegedly paid for the nomination forms of all other candidates.

He said “ The constitution of our association stipulates that anyone interested in contesting in any national post must have attended two out of three national congresses before he or she is qualified to contest.

But to our surprise , one of the presidential candidates was allowed to contest without attending any of the congresses. It is a shame.

It was learnt that elders of the association have tried to reconcile all aggrieved members long before the recent election, but their efforts had not been successful as some other issues have been lingering before the emergence of Nwachukwu.

Investigation revealed that many of the aggrieved members have decided to pull out of FIBAN and form another group following the lingering crisis.

The members, it was gathered ,have commenced the process of registering a new association with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC with the name ‘ Guild of Independent Broadcasters of Nigeria’ (GIBN) which is now on its final stage.

One of the members behind the creation of GIBN said ” GIBN is a new development because we must find a way to come together under one umbrella and address issues that FIBAN has failed to address.

Many of our members have left the association for over ten years and all efforts to bring them back had failed because the reasons why they left have not been addressed.

GIBN will address issues of Sanity, professionalism and ethics and we are set to make that happen.

Our image from the public has not been good and we are set to correct those misconceptions.

FIBAN is an association where anyone, even a Carpenter, can come and be a leader. we will leave them to handle it the way they want. There is no crime in associating or dissociating. ” He said.

Lagos FIBAN rejects Nwachukwu  

Meanwhile, the Lagos chapter of FIBAN has also condemned in strong term the irregularities that characterised the National election and also resolved to pull out of the association for the next three years over the lingering crisis rocking FIBAN nationwide.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its meeting under the auspices of FIBAN Elders Forum, and signed by  chairman, board of Trustee, Chief Abbey Fagboro , the members in January 23 said Nwachukwu is no longer their president

The communique reads in part “what we experienced and passed through at the national election really shows that the emblem of our amiable FIBAN of then, has been bashed to an appauling status.

FIBAN Lagos State Chapter has always been a chapter that contribute effectively to the growth of FIBAN national, with whatever it take, to ensure positive and smooth running of the association from the onset.

As a matter of fact, Lagos State Chapter has always been  progressive minded , and will not accept or align with any destructive act which will definitely bounce back on the strength and growth of the Association.

However, FIBAN Lagos State Chapter has been able to understand some facts that some people don’t actually want the development and sustainability of this Association -our visions defers, their selfish interest supersedes the interest and progress of our Association (which those that believe in professionalism  and unity of all independent Broadcasters  has labour for).

It is now very obvious, that we have divided interests. FIBAN LAGOS CHAPTER will never deviate from our founding father’s dream,  a man who believed in truth  and integrity, we in Lagos Chapter owe him an allegiance, we will never be a sellout, a traitor,  a deceit, a double-crosser,  a betrayal, a two-timer, or a double-dealer .

We will  never sell our conscience for whatever amount. Our  Love for this laudable Association remains unshakable, we will keep our hope alive and our fingers crossed until we are saved from the hands of  unscrupulous elements holding  on the baton for now.

Unanimous Decisions

*Fiban Lagos State is not  forming  or creating another Association.

*We have NO trust in the leadership of National BOT Chairman Mr Adeniyi Fatai Dan Kazeem.

*The past head of administration that was purportedly re-elected lack credibility, integrity and developmental focus.

*We observed that upon all allegations and various questions levelled against Desmond Nwachukwu were left unanswered on and before manifesto day.
”Am sorry”, ”we are going to correct the wrongs”, “we know we have failed”, were the defence of their hero.

We can’t imagine sane people hearing this, and still go ahead to plot him back to power he had once abused and bastardized.
Nonetheless,  Mr Desmond, NOT OUR President( LAGOS CHAPTER).

VOTE buying and illegal delegates surfaced on the election day, and as an Association that teaches and promotes integrity and anti- corruption mantra through our individual programmes,  we are not and never will be a party  to all forms of atrocities  performed on the Election  held in Osogbo, State of Osun.

*We want to bring it to your notice that we have been experiencing such lack of transparency and accountability from Desmond  Nwachukwu for long. We always express our feelings whenever any of our State Excos  or National  Representative attended any meeting  or Congress called  at will by Desmond, but  all these he believed and took as hatred and attempt to destabilize his regime.

*The First bank account statement of FIBAN National, is totally different from the statement of account doctored  and presented at the National Congress, forcefully held at Ekiti State early January 2020.

*Also, we notice that the name of ONE of our reliable and amiable executives in Lagos State, Olori Adeola Balogun was use to fraud the FIBAN National account. We demand clarification on this, and see what next.

*There was No Evidence  of Election form  purchased ( teller) or form by Desmond  as it was done in the case of other Candidates. Their forms, tellers, were posted and displayed, with  their pictures, alongside their FIBANEC State representative , as directed by the FIBANEC  office.

*In conclusion, we suspected the unholy alliance between electoral CHAIRMAN Mr Olugbenga Adebayo (lmalian Boy) and Desmond Nwachukwu ”the acclaimed president elect”.

In the view of this..
We are glad to announce to you members of our great Association all over Nigeria that we FIBAN LAGOS STATE CHAPTER  have decided to boycott any National activities FOR NOW -we benefited nothing from the national body and we won’t be available for another three years of waste.

We are not ready to align  with the  regime of Comrade Desmond Nwachukwu, that hijacked his second term via a palace coup.

LAGOS FIBAN DISENGAGES FROM FIBAN NATIONAL led by Desmond Nwachukwu.”

When contacted , the immediate past national publicity secretary , Comrade Bisi Ajiboye refused to react to the issue.

Ajiboye who also contested the post of national vice president 1 and lost said “ I don’t want to speak on the election because there is no future in the past. I have moved on. ”

Similarly ,the former president of FIBAN, Yemi Sounde declined to comment.

Sounde told our correspondent that “For personal reasons  I will not want to make any comment on it. Thank you.  Regards.”

I wish them the very best – Nwachukwu

In a reaction,the National President of FIBAN ,comrade Desmond Nwachukwu has said that he had no right to stop anyone who decided to pull out of the association.

Nwachukwu told our correspondent on phone on Saturday that “For me, as the president of FIBAN, I wish and hope that all our members across the length and breath of this country remain under the same fold but it is within the constitutional power of any individual to decide whether or not he wants to associate with anybody or any group.

If any of my members wishes to move on to any other association, they are very well free to proceed.
Am not responsible to them there but i am responsible to my members.

I will also like to put it on record that there is no chapter that has a legal backing to claim to be disassociating itself from the national body under whatever guise ,still bearing the name of that association.

They are guided by the rules and regulations of the association and as a result they can not disassociate themselves from the national body.

As far as Lagos state is concerned , they are still part of the association. But if there are people who wish to pull out , I wish them the very best.

But i think it is saddening when you discover that people when they lose election , an election that  remains one of the most transparent in the history of this association, an election that is credible and they feel that the only way and manner to go about it is to want to pull out , it leaves little to be admired. It tells me as an individual that they were never interested in the association in the first place and that they have ulterior motive in the first place.

I could listen to them if they could come up to say that the election was manipulated and come with proofs. If they have proof that i did not emerge through collective votes of our people,then i could listen to them. But under a free ,fair ,credible and transparent election,that was witnessed by all stakeholders including the security operatives, if they want to pull out,the best i can do it to wish them the very best.”

Nwachukwu however declined comments on the alleged misappropriation of funds meant for the association and other corrupt practices leveled against him.

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