Imo Speaker’s Media Aides: Past And Present (part One) Different Strokes To House Of Assembly Correspondents

Chinyochaobi Israel Uhuegbu .J 08137921022
As a Concerned accredited Imo State House of Assembly Correspondent since 2011, I deem it necessary to write on the above subject matter or captioned topic. I remain Prince chinyochaobi Israel Uhuegbu, (diplomats pen) with the Nigeria Strides Newspapers. My identity tag is with me.
I am aggrieved and at the same time, in pains to note that media and information management in the Imo House of Assembly has been off steam to the level where people now describe a media Aide as Misnomer and misfit.
The question that come to the mind of reasonable Imo citizens is: why did speaker Uwajumogu allow this uncalled for problem to come to this point? The respected Rt. Honourable speaker of Imo House of Assembly immediately after being inaugurated as speaker in June 2011, appointed an amicable, Imo House of Assembly correspondents friendly, well known social crusader Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha, who though not a trained Journalist, but is well grounded in media matters. This is a verifiable fact. Samuelson took off on a sound note and within few weeks, he captured the media industry (Both prints and electronics) for his lovable boss and master. Ben Uwajumogu’s image and office was the envy of other states speakers; the Imo House vibrated both locally, nationally and internationally. Our concern is: why did those recorded successes now nosedived into close to failure? Citizen Ikenna Samuelson took Uwajumogu to the High Mountains and made him and his office very attractive, marketable, investor friendly, such that the media department in the IMHA even covered some avoidable leakages at the Executive arm of Government. The dexterity of the former senior media Aide to the speaker in media matters quickly helped in stabilizing and consolidating Rt. Honourable Ben Uwajumogu as a speaker. As a concerned correspondent, I and my colleagues (House of assembly correspondents) cherished this humble political appointee (Citizen Ikenna Samuelson) being that he respected us, treated us well, gave us authority to be friendly to good governance, increased our monthly stipend from N3000- (three thousand Naira) to N5000- and finally to N10, 000-. He was very honest with us to a fault.
When we had personal problems, Samuelson was handy to proffer solution to the problems. For instance, he paid hospital bills for our sick children, paid school fees for our kids also; he got his amiable boss (the Rt. Hon. Speaker) to sponsor our weddings, burial ceremonies for our loved ones. These are some of the rare virtues of a worthy media Aide. He paid Antenatal Hospital bills for our wives, gave us love, care and overwhelming protection. He encouraged us to form a union at the Assembly to strengthen the bond of unity, love and friendship. When we run into problems with publishers, and editors, Samuelson was handy to intervene. In short, the former media Aide was a leader to beat. He excelled. This inadvertently catapulted speaker Uwajumogu into a worthy great son of his state and a legislator per Excellence. Samuelson gave Christmas bonuses to us the correspondents. Imo speaker furnished NUJ state chairman’s office during Samuelsons tenure as SSA- MEDIA. According to a top NUJ state executive: Samuelson facilitated the speaker’s sponsorship of Imo NUJs trip to Abuja our national convention in 2012.
In the eyes of imo-lites and beyond, Rt. Hon. Ben Uwajumogu, became an emerging philosopher king to be reckoned with. We had hoped on that. But the correspondents were struck to their marrows in July 2013 to hear that the great Samuelson had been suspended for three months. The Assembly correspondents asked questions from the office of the speaker but there was no response forth coming. Nevertheless, the correspondents quickly wrote a letter pleading with speaker Uwajumogu to bring back Citizen samuelson. If he (Citizen Iwoha) was bad, we could have written to bid him farewell for good radiance to bad rubbish, but the Reverse was the case. We the correspondents were equally aware that Honourable Members, other stake holders, intervened and ensured that Samuelson was bought back.
The amiable speaker listened and brought back his former senior media Aide after one month suspension. But our joy was short lived when he (Ikenna) was asked to head Special Duties department. It is pertinent to state the obvious that since July 2013, 5 months running, the media and information management in the Assembly has been in coma. What has prompted missiles to keep coming to a respectable office from left, Right and Centre? Instead of carrying us correspondents as friends, inter-alia Samuelson, he Mr. Emeka Ahaneku went for the kill – by removing the names of over 15 hard working correspondents from the paying lists, which my humble self was among them. I am not a coward to keep quiet because the world is a small place. Every position at a given time is “OCHE BARBER”. I can be a media Aide Tomorrow Translating the views of my boss into Japanese, German, French, Esperanto, English and Igbo languages. I have not received my stipend since July 2013 and the same apply to the rest of us unfortunate G-15. We have families to cater for and problems to solve. No cordial relationship exists between Mr. Emeka Ahaneku with House of Assembly correspondents. Till today, this so called media Aide is yet to arrange a meeting between us with the speaker as Samuelson used to do periodically. We no longer use our House of Assembly media Bus to go on official functions. Mr. Ahaneku has never covered any committee meetings in the House. As media Aide with the speaker Uwajumogu, he has not written any article or press release on his own. One Mr. Chinedu Opara writes for him. No wonder, Hon. Ray Emeana former respected Hon. Member and chairman House committee on information, due process and interpaliamentary relations has described Emeka Ahaneku as a “Misfit media Aide”. No wonder, Chief Bright Chimeze Njoku, Publisher Nigeria Horn Newspapers, described the same media Aide as “Misnomer”. No wonder information and media matter in the Assembly is dead and buried courtesy of Emeka Ahaneku’s very poor media representation. A media Aide should build public confidence, market his principal positively, defend his principal.
I am therefore appealing and calling on the Rt. Hon speaker to verify all these claims. He should find out from the correspondents these home truths. He should equally find out from Honourable members, editors, and publishers of Newspapers. Our Amiable speaker should equally ensure that all the unpaid stipends of Imo Assembly correspondents since July are paid to them. Every Newspaper or Newssletter in Imo State enjoys the Freedom of information Act. Every correspondent has something to contribute to the growth and progress of Imo State. It is unfortunate that the Rt. Hon. Ben Uwajumogu who was few months ago the ZIK of AFRICA, has been made to be rated as the “Owelle of Onitsha”, courtesy of his misfit media Aide and misnomer. A stitch in time saves nine.
Chinyochaobi Israel Uhuegbu .J
IMHA Correspondent with Nigerian Strides Newspapers

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