EMR Abuja Branch Moves to Strengthen Membership, Professional Engagement

EMR Abuja Branch Moves to Strengthen Membership, Professional Engagement

By Our Reporter

Abuja (Core Reporters) — The Abuja Branch of the Energy and Maritime Reporters of Nigeria (EMR) has resolved to strengthen members’ participation, deepen professional engagement and streamline its membership structure as part of efforts to reposition the branch for greater impact.

The resolutions were reached at the branch’s second congress, held online via WhatsApp on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

The meeting, which commenced at 8:30 a.m., was attended by the National Chairman, Mr. Martins Ogene; National Secretary, Dr. Seviour Ekpe; Branch Chairman, Amb. Dotun Roy; Branch Secretary, Queen Nora Inwang; Comrade Dominic Edem; Comrade Idongesit Ekpe; and other old and new members of the Abuja Branch.

Welcoming members to the meeting, the Branch Chairman, Amb. Dotun Roy, expressed appreciation to members for their commitment and for making time to attend despite the short notice.

Speaking at the meeting, the National Chairman, Mr. Martins Ogene, stressed the importance of unity and collaboration among journalists, noting that the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), professional guilds and other associations continued to provide platforms for journalists to interact and promote their professional interests.

Ogene urged EMR members in Abuja to take advantage of the strategic position of the Federal Capital Territory and the presence of several government ministries, departments and agencies responsible for energy and maritime affairs.

“Abuja is the headquarters, and members should take advantage of that opportunity,” he said.

He also stressed the responsibility of journalists covering the energy and maritime sectors to provide accurate, balanced and timely reports on developments affecting the Nigerian economy.

According to him, energy and maritime reporting covers critical sectors of the Nigerian economy and requires journalists to be more engaging and proactive in their coverage.

The National Chairman further called on members to cooperate with one another and participate actively in the association’s activities.

He urged members to join the EMR Lounge platform, where internal matters affecting the association would be discussed, while announcing plans by the national body to organise training programmes for members.

Ogene said the benefits of the association would become more evident as members remained committed and actively participated in its activities.

Also speaking, the National Secretary, Dr. Seviour Ekpe, commended the National Chairman for his remarks and lauded the Abuja Branch Executive for convening the meeting.

Ekpe said Abuja remained a strategic location for journalists covering the energy and maritime sectors because of the concentration of government agencies and institutions in the nation’s capital.

“Abuja does not have all, but it is the centre of Nigeria. There are a lot of agencies in Abuja that have to do with energy and maritime, and members should take advantage of this,” he said.

He proposed that the Abuja Branch should organise courtesy visits to relevant energy and maritime agencies in the Federal Capital Territory to establish stronger relationships and improve members’ access to information.

The National Secretary also stressed the need for commitment among members, warning that inactive members could be reviewed and removed from the active membership structure in due course.

Meanwhile, Comrade Dominic Edem called for better identification and interaction among members across the association.

He suggested that the names of members from the national body down to the various state branches should be made available on relevant platforms to facilitate easy identification and communication.

The major issue discussed at the meeting, however, was the need to ensure that the Abuja Branch is made up of active and committed members.

The National Chairman said the WhatsApp platform should be used strictly for matters that promote the progress and professional interests of members.

He cautioned members against posting irrelevant content on the platform and called for greater discipline in the use of the group.

The meeting also agreed to review the membership of the Abuja Branch, with emphasis on commitment and participation.

Ogene said there was a need to reduce the number of inactive members and build a more committed group.

He said the branch must find ways to “trim down the group from 19 members to 10 committed members,” adding that inactive members should exit or be removed from the platform.

As part of efforts to properly identify members and assess their level of commitment, the branch agreed to hold a WhatsApp video meeting for Abuja members and members of the Executive Committee on Saturday.

Members who fail to participate in the video meeting may be asked to leave the group or be removed by the administrators, according to the resolution reached at the meeting.

The proposed list of new Executive Committee members for the Abuja Branch will also be discussed during the Saturday video meeting.

The branch further resolved that regular meetings should be held to discuss developments in the energy and maritime industries, as well as professional concerns affecting members.

Members were consequently urged to participate actively in EMR Abuja Branch programmes and support one another professionally.

The meeting ended at 10:00 a.m., after the Branch Chairman thanked members for their contributions and urged them to remain committed to the objectives and growth of the association.