Patrick Ese Ochoga of the Leadership Newspaper was on Wednesday elected the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Edo State Council.
Ochoga succeeds Mrs. Nefishetu Yakubu of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after completing two terms of six years.
Ochoga and other elected chapel executives were sworn into office on Wednesday after an election conducted by the 2025 Correspondents Chapel Election of Edo NUJ Committee headed by Usman Aliyu and supervised by officials of the state council of the NUJ.
Ochoga was returned unopposed following the disqualification of Michael Egbejule of the Guardian Newspapers by the National leadership of the NUJ for constitutional breaches.
Other officers who emerged at the election are Usman Abdulahi Bello of the Daily Trust Newspaper, Vice Chairman; Patrick Ahanor of the Blueprint Newspaper, General Secretary; Idris Umar Momoh, of the BusinessDay Newspaper, Treasurer; and Barnabas Uzosike of the Vanguard Newspaper, Auditor. In his remark, the newly inaugurated chairman promised to uphold the tenets of the journalism profession and ensure that journalists are accorded their dignity.
Ochoga said, “I stand before you today filled with immense gratitude and humility. Emerging as your chairman is not just a personal achievement, but a collective victory, and I am deeply honoured.
“As your chairman, I promise to fight for all of us for a better and progressive chapel. I’ll stand up for our values and work across the aisle to get things done.
“We face big challenges, but I’ve never been more optimistic that together we can surmount any obstacle about the future of our chapel. Our diversity is our strength. Our shared hopes and dreams unite us”.
Ochoga, in his almost 16 years of journalism practice, has built a distinguished career marked by excellence and professionalism.
A graduate of Geography from the University of Jos, Plateau State, Ochoga also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Maiduguri. Beyond journalism, he is an entrepreneur and farmer.
In recognition of his contributions to journalism, he was a recipient of the Edo Icon Award in 2023. His international experience includes coordinating media activities for the Nigeria Conference of Speakers Forum in Canada in 2022.
His election as chairman reflects the confidence of his colleagues in his leadership and dedication to the growth of journalism in Edo State.
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