N5m Largesse: How Ogun NUJ Chairman Orchestrated Opening ‘Fake’ Bank Account, NAWOJ Chairperson Opens Up

ABEOKUTA – The Chairperson of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in Ogun State, Mrs. Sekinat Salami, has dismissed allegations of financial misconduct leveled against her by the state NUJ Chairman, Comrade Wale Olanrewaju, describing them as “baseless” and “blatant lies”.

In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Saturday, Salami accused Olanrewaju of masterminding the allegations to cover up his own financial impropriety and “score a cheap political point”.

She claimed Olanrewaju was seeking revenge for her refusal to be manipulated and her stance against his “impunity”.

Salami detailed how Olanrewaju allegedly benefited from a N5million government cheque meant for NAWOJ, including receiving N345,000 as repayment for a non-existent loan and N280,000 as “compensation” for his role in opening a special bank account.

She challenged Olanrewaju’s allegations, stating that financial records of NAWOJ transactions are intact and ready to be presented.

Salami described her suspension by the NUJ executive council as a “grave constitutional aberration” and called for an independent investigation.

The statement urged the State Congress to halt actions based on the “flawed process” and ensure fair hearing for all parties.

Salami emphasized that NAWOJ’s national leadership are in better position to handle any misconduct allegations, not the state NUJ.

The statement reads partly, “It is not only constitutionally erroneous but ethically jaundiced for a principal actor whose conduct forms a material part of the issues under consideration, to improperly assume the role of an aggrieved party, portraying himself as an innocent victim, while actively influencing and directing a State Congress to suspend the defendant.

“This conduct is in clear violation of the fundamental principles of fair hearing and natural justice, as guaranteed under the Constitution and reinforced by the long-established doctrines of nemo judex in causa sua (no one shall be a judge in his own cause) and audi alteram partem (hear the other side).

“A person who is substantially involved in an allegation cannot constitutionally act as an accuser, a victim, and de facto arbiter in the same manner.

“For clarification purposes and for the records, I never perpetrated any financial misconduct or misappropriation as falsely alleged by Comrade Olanrewaju. Rather, he is shouting himself hoarse with this allegation in order to get back at me for standing my ground against his impunity.

“My ‘sin’ is that I vehemently refused to become a puppet in his hand that can be manipulated to suit his whims and caprices. It will be interesting for the public to know that Comrade Olanrewaju himself was the architect of the opening of a special bank account by the NAWOJ to clear the cheque of N5m issued by the Ogun Ogun State Government for my association.

“Apart from that, he provided the CAC Registration of the Ogun NUJ to facilitate the opening of the account, and went ahead to provide a covering letter to that effect.

“When the process was taking longer than necessary, he enlisted the assistance of some top civil servants in the state civil service to ensure the smooth opening of the account at the bank.

“When the cheque was cleared, he insisted that the money he personally lent to Ogun NAWOJ should be refunded immediately. He also demanded for a huge sum of money as his personal ‘share’ from the money.

“To this end, a sum of N345,000 was transferred to him as repayment of the loan he claimed to have lent to NAWOJ (even when there was no evidence to back his claim). He further demanded that he should be ‘appreciated’ greatly for his efforts in the opening of the account, and I gave him a sum of N100,000.

“Apparently disappointed and miffed, he rejected the sum and demanded that it was too small for his position and a ridiculous compensation for the pivotal role he played in the whole scenario. After much pressure and threats from him, I added a sum of N50,000 to the money. Also, a sum of N280,000 transferred to him all in the name of compensation for the ‘Yeoman’s job’ he did.

“It should be noted, however, that this took place during the cash crunch period of 2023, therefore, I had to source for cash pay part of the money to Comrade Olanrewaju.

“Both the Ogun NUJ Secretary, Bunmi Adigun and Akeem Adegbenro were in the know of what transpired between me and the NUJ chairman. And apart from the money given to the NUJ chairman, every NAWOJ and non-NAWOJ members who traveled to Abuja for the NAWOJ national election benefited from the largesse, including Adegbenro who was neither part of NAWOJ nor traveled with us to Abuja.

“It should also be known that it was from this N5m that my exco organized some programmes for NAWOJ members, while the balance of the money is currently in the account of the association.

“As a leader of an association, financial records of all the transactions are intact, and I am ready to tender it to the general public.

“I, hereby, declare emphatically that Comrade Olanrewaju’s allegations lack any iorta of truth. It was a ruse and concocted shenanigan to actualize his threats to ‘deal’ with me for daring his authority over Ogun NAWOJ’s purse. My only offence is because I stood my ground against the chairman’s Oliver Twist’s traits and protected my association money.

“So, any attempt to procure a suspension through Congress without a full, independent, and impartial investigation into the phoney allegation amounts to an abuse of process and renders such action ultra vires the powers of the Congress.”

Disciplinary measures imposed on the basis of misrepresentation, emotional manipulation, or pre-judgment offend both constitutional safeguards and the organization’s own governing instruments.

The attempt to secure punitive action by presenting a one-sided narrative is a deliberate subversion of due process and a direct threat to institutional integrity.

Decisions taken under such circumstances are procedurally defective, constitutionally unsustainable, and liable to be set aside.

Moreso, NAWOJ is an affiliated body to NUJ with its own national leadership, not a chapel subjected to the command of NUJ.

If there is indeed a case of misconduct by the state executive of NAWOJ, the national leadership of the association has the prerogative to hear the matter and set up an investigation and disciplinary committee to take a decisive action.