By Tams  Brinemugha, Abuja

 “To know that you do not know is the best.
To think you know when you do not is a disease.
Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it.” 
                                                                                        ― Lao Tzu
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” 
                                                              ― Martin Luther King Jr.

 “You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.” 
                                                                   ― Harlan Ellison
If Collins Ajibola is really the journalist he claims to be, he would have known that it is infra dig for journalists to wear their ignorance like a coat of many colours. His opinion article, 'Chuks Ehirim: So long, too long for NUJ FCT Chapter', published in Gongnews.net, and online newspaper,  reminds one of an enthusiastic teenager grappling with the  rudiments of O'level English composition: Yet to master the craft, but desperate to impress.

 Mr. Ajibola would have been left well alone to wallow in his illusion, but for the records, his several unfounded allegations, accusations and acrimonious 
submissions must be properly corrected.

 First, Ajibola implied that there is a divide in Nigerian Union of Journalist, FCT Council. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The FCT Council has 
never been  more united than now, in body and spirit.

 And this feat with all modesty was achieved by Comrade Paul Ella Abechi, who during his first ever National Executive Council, NEC meeting in Katsina urged 
NEC to pardon its two members - Mssrs Malachy Uzendu and Tony Icheku - serving a so called 'indefinite' suspension. Some other past Executive officers had the  opportunity to take credit but the then Chairman and Secretary  lobbied that the strange contraption of 'indefinite' suspension remain in place for as long  as possible.

 Second, Ajibola alluded to the inability of the NUJ, FCT Council working as a team to help Ehirim's family. He failed to really enlighten his readers what 
he actually meant. The NUJ as a body would do all it can and within available resources has always stood by its members, those who fell sick and those who 
were unfortunate to pass on. One of the safe guards the NUJ also provided for members is to take out an insurance policy for the sum of N6,000 (six-thousand  Naira) only. The family of any member who passes on is immediately compensated with the N6  milliion as a fall-back while the family restructures how to  continue without bread-winner, of course with the assistance of NUJ if sought.

 Third, Ajibola seems like an ill-behaved scamp sent by some bullies to cast stones at the Chairman of NUJ, FCT Council, Comrade Paul Ella Abechi and the 
Executive of the Council. Unfortunately, he missed. His misdirected  darts and  ill-motivated accusations against Council chairman, Abechi and his team were 
rather, prejudiced, jaundiced and characteristic of an imbiber communing with Bacchus. To respond to his incoherent ramblings would be akin to  enacting a scene of two dancing naked in the  market.

 Fourth,  Ajibola alluded to  persons desperate to make money from Ehirim's death. Here again, his courage failed him and he could neither name names or 
articulate what he really meant. 

 Fifth, Ajibola mentioned journalists who are supposed to be whistleblowers and exposers of corruption. Is he not among them? Or he lacks temerity to blow 
whistle and expose corruption in his own small constituency of FCT Council?

 Six, Ajibola should be educated that the NUJ, FCT Council has not set up any fund-raising committee for Ehirim. If therefore Ajibola and his friends have, and are quarrelling over money, should he drag the name of the NUJ, FCT into it and make us all look bad?

 Seven, death is not what any one wishes on another. If Ajibola knows his Union, and his onions, he would not be blabbing about endowment fund, bla, bla, bla. Ehirim is not the first former Council chairman to pass on. In very recent time Mr. Amaechi Dike walked that path.  Do we forget the foremost activist, Ladi Lawal whose memory is still highly revered even till now for his enormous contribution to journalism and NUJ? How about  former NUJ President, Akwu Ndagene?

 How about Adolphus Okonkwo, a former Lagos Council Exco member and a NEC official who died in road accident while on official duty? How about Moses Ezulike, also a former Council official who also died in active duty with other colleagues. The NUJ did what it can to alleviate the pains of their families, but not in one single case was a N100 million Endowment Fund set up for their families. 

 And why not? Even a baby can answer why not. But since some only grew physically while still babes intellectually, I will spell  it out with some questions: Will an endowment fund be set up every time an NUJ member drops dead?  What would be the modus operandi for such? Death is the final leveller, thus all members should qualify, not just former officials, or does Ajibola have a feasible template? 

 "If you live in a glass house, don't throw stone, and if you can't stones, brother don't throw stones", sang the reggae icon Bob Marley in one of his songs. Since I know Ajibola has not been an active member of the Union, we can only surmise, he was an errand boy. And we do not need to look too far to identify those who sent him. But I would advise him and his masters to let the soul of Ehirim rest in peace.

 If they love Ehirim better than us all, it takes nothing for them to set up an endowment fund for Ehirim, the NUJ would of course support them in any feasible way. But let them know that the NUJ does not set up endowment funds for its members who passed on and nothing has changed as at today!

 Final word: "Don't throw stones if you can't take stones......"

Brinemugha is on the staff of VON, Abuja and a former member of its chapel