The death of former NUJ FCT Chairman, Patrick Osadebamwen, has opened an unexpected path to reconciliation among Abuja journalists.
At a Night of Tributes held in his honour on Monday, journalist and media critic, Dr. Lemmy Ughegbe, publicly forgave fellow journalist Emeka Eze over past disagreements.
Ughegbe did not stop at words.
He walked to Eze, embraced him and declared him his brother, drawing loud applause from journalists at the NUJ FCT Secretariat in Utako.
The emotional gesture became the defining moment of the tribute.
Ughegbe said Osadebamwen’s death should compel members to confront the divisions that had strained relationships within the FCT Council.
“For the sake of Patrick, please, regardless of our pains, our hurts and our disagreements with one another, this is the time to cross the Rubicon and embrace peace,” he said.
He said the late unionist would have wanted a united NUJ.
According to Ughegbe, the divisions of the past two years had left many members estranged from one another.
He admitted that he too had been affected, recalling how he stopped greeting Eze after what he described as defamatory allegations against him.
“But in the spirit of today, as we honour Patrick Osaretin Osadebamwen, I want to speak clearly to Emeka Eze. I forgive you, and I tell you that you are my brother,” he said.
He then urged other members to make similar gestures and begin rebuilding relationships within the union.
The call resonated across the gathering.
FCT NUJ Chairman, Grace Ike, as well as former chairmen Malachy Uzendu, Emmanuel Ogbeche, Amos Duniya and Jacob Edi, called for forgiveness and unity.
NUJ National Secretary, Achike Chude, and leaders of the National Association of Women Journalists also joined the call.
The tribute therefore became more than a farewell to a former union leader.
It became a moment for journalists divided by past disagreements to begin closing old wounds.
The question now is whether the reconciliation sparked by Osadebamwen’s death will outlive the mourning period.
For the NUJ FCT Council, sustaining that spirit could become the most enduring tribute to the late journalist.