Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Hon. Engr. Jude Chinedu Asogwa, has criticised the activities of “social media journalists,” accusing them of spreading fake and defamatory stories against political figures and other individuals. He stressed that such practices should be discouraged.
According to him, the actions of this unprofessional group undermine the ethics of journalism and attempt to diminish the relevance of trained professionals in the field.
Hon. Asogwa, who made the remarks while receiving members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nsukka Chapel, on a courtesy visit, said the activities of social media journalists had at several times attempted to distract him from his programmes, but he had chosen to ignore them.
“I know that a lot has been happening in journalism practice, especially with the advent of social media platforms where some people wake up and start posting what they don’t know — dangerous news and character defamation. They engage in reckless, unsubstantiated, and misleading publications without considering the consequences.
“But I always tell my media team to ignore the perpetrators and their fake news to avoid unnecessary distractions in our service to the people. My mantra is that we are too focused to be distracted. I thank God for the Cybercrimes Act because it will checkmate these unethical journalists and strengthen the work of core professionals,” he said.
Speaking on his administration’s achievements within one year in office, Asogwa said his guiding principle is that after politics comes governance, which is all about service to humanity.
He recalled that his first step upon assumption of office was to convene a meeting of all political parties in the council area to foster peace and unity.
“When I came on board as chairman, I called for a meeting of all the political parties in our local government — PDP, APC, LP, among others — at Obu Nsukka (Nsukka Town Hall). I told them that the election was over and that we should begin to speak with one voice, as brothers and sisters irrespective of party ideology. The endpoint of everything is service to humanity,” he said.
According to him, the meeting yielded results as it allowed his administration to focus on delivering on electoral promises. He noted that various committees, including those on Community Engagement and Abandoned Projects, were set up to identify priority needs across the 52 communities of the local government.
Highlighting some of his administration’s projects, Asogwa said rural electrification had been extended to Ibagwa-Agu, Lejja, and Odolu communities, while boreholes were sunk at Owerre-Lejja and Umuakpor village in Ibagwa-Ani. Road projects completed or ongoing include the 1.6 km GRA Ring Road, 1.5 km Odolu Nsukka Road, the 4.2 km Amaji Uwelu–Amaji Uwani–Admabia–Umueze Urban Girls Road, and the 6.5 km Ede-Oballa Road.
He added that work was ongoing to give the council secretariat a facelift, while residential quarters for corps members with a capacity of 40 to 50 occupants had been flagged off.
On human capital development, Asogwa said 52 youth leaders were appointed as liaison officers, while his administration employed two first-class graduates of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who had been unemployed for years.
He also disclosed that the council attracted the construction of an international market with a 5,000-shop capacity at Odolu, to cushion the effect of the demolition of Ogige Market for the new Bus Terminal project by the state government.
On security, the chairman said the local government had recruited more personnel and reactivated the abandoned Nigeria Police Division at Okpuje, restoring the presence of security operatives in the area.
He attributed his administration’s achievements to the enabling environment created by the state governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, whom he described as a development-oriented leader undertaking over 2,000 projects across Enugu State.
In his remarks, the Chairman of NUJ, Nsukka Chapel, Comrade Ikechukwu Okenyi, congratulated Asogwa on his election and commended him for his strides within one year in office. He pledged the union’s readiness to build a robust working relationship with the council, describing it as a “partnership that works.”
