The Publisher of News Echo and News Insider Magazine, Chief (Dr) Kingsley Anosike Chimezie, Ebubemba Ikeduru and an Australian based business mogul would not have any of the shenanigans from the Imo government. He minced no words and made himself clear when he warned the Chief Press Secretary to Imo governor, Oguwike Nwachukwu to cease from harassing his editors who have committed no wrong.
The media aide was irked by a banner headline in its Wednesday publication which ran thus, “Imo burns, Uzodimma at large” and started calling the Editor, Afam Echi and the Managing Editor, irrepressible Martin Ori to query why they should declare the governor at large. He unsuccessfully tried to school the editors and the publisher on the meaning of the two letter words, ‘at large’.
CPS also complained that he has been reading negative reports from yours sincerely which he has been managing to ignore but what irked him the most was the declaration of Uzodimma to be at large. He also declared that I am a tool of the opposition, which I truthfully denied from the context he was looking at opposition which is partisan.
Let me educate here a little on the concept of opposition. The ruling government is obsessed with seeing every criticism against it as coming from opposing parties who seek to grab power from it. This is very wrong. It is also the reason they keep fumbling and would not listen because rather give attention to a genuine matter they see everything as an opportunity to make them fail and thus they persist in their wrong doing. They insist they hold superior opinion from their opponents.
Truth is anyone who is not in government is already an opposition and can see things differently. This includes the market woman, the rural folks, media men, civil servants, civil rights groups, students, professionals etc. Many of us are non-partisan and will always hold views different from the ruling party but when you canvass it they stupidly tag you an opposition or an agent of the opposition party.
It was one of those tough moments for a media handler when he had to fight off an obvious lies known even to kids seeking to turn it to truth just to please his master. Unfortunately, you cannot squeeze water from stone.
Kingsley had maintained that he belongs to no party and neither his editors else they would not work for him. He insisted that his paper was created to give a voice to Ndigbo and the voiceless but the CPS would not have any of it as he tagged the editors’ quacks.
It is nothing new to us because labeling colleagues is the stock in trade of the combative CPS who we learned was imposed on the governor by Oshiomhole, the former henchman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) when he called the shots. It was as we glimpsed one of the tradeoffs to impose the Imo governor on the people, a situation still inexplicable in Mathematics where number 4 can become number 1. And the governor said boastfully that he Ben Johnsoned it.
We have not forgotten so soon the battle between Imo journalists and Oguwike when he assumed office. He was so arrogant and described Imo journalists and publishers in the most inelegant words. Many called for him to be yanked away. The few moments I have encountered the CPS in the course of confirming government angles to issues, he comes combative, threatening to sue you if you write rubbish as if he has monopoly of the courts and knowledge of journalism. Imo journalists have a lot of experience encountering him.
A colleague and publisher has disclosed that this is the reason, rightly or wrongly, that he lost out and was benched in the battle between him, Emelumba (Information Commissioner) and the woman in charge of the new media.
According to the publisher, “I am surprised that he is querying your paper? Maybe he is waking up from slumber. This is a man who doesn’t even know the governor’s schedule and must ask others. Have you ever seen him speak for government because Emelumba sidelined him and talking for government everywhere?’’
It was again another failed attempt for the media guys in the 3R’s government when Emelumba’s efforts to lie all the way to Imo people hit the rocks as Chinonso Uba (popularly called Nonsonkwa), the people’s voice halted him in his program at the Ozisa FM. They literally set the studio on fire and reactions coming from the listeners have taken the man and his government to the cleaners.
Another good hand in the media and aide to a former governor who ran the last election was busy in the Facebook defending the indefensible publishing the governor’s picture kneeling down in prayers, sadly for a problem he allegedly created. Will God answer such prayers?
Before the burning of the governor’s house he was in Abuja as usual where he spends most of the time flying private jets at the tax payers’ expense. Seven days after his house was burnt and Imo went up in flames, he stayed away for seven days. There was nobody to speak to calm the people, no deputy to say anything confirming the speculation that there is attempt to dump the Ikeduru professor. Imo became a rudderless ship.
Was it wrong to have declared Uzodimma at large when no one was in charge? Our people make una judge o!
Imo CPS now new CAN media aide?
This is an honest question as I cannot understand the connection where the CPS is now using his platform to distribute communiqué of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Imo Chapter in which they pledged their loyalty to the governor. At this point some questions have become necessary. Someone should please help clear our thoughts on this?
Is the CPS walking for CAN now or CAN solicited for his support to help her distribute the communiqué to other media houses? If this is the case does it mean CAN has no means to reach the media organizations? What is the connection?
In response a prominent journalist in the state stated that the government may have engineered the gathering that originated the communiqué and wants to achieve the purpose by helping to get it across to the media because it has a wider platform. He claimed that this is not any different from that of the Council of Ndieze which held few days earlier
It would be recalled that the traditional rulers had drawn the ire of many Imo citizens when they declared that Uzodimma is God sent and that any attack against him is an attack against them which will invoke their wrath to place a curse on the person.
Funnily, the God-sent man voted with his legs and abandoned even the traditional rulers at a time his state was burning. Ndi eze indeed, ndi eze aguru, ndi eze na enwegh eziokwu (hungry traditional rulers without truth). Until our leaders sincerely embrace the truth and act with good intentions we can’t find ourselves out of the wood.
