| Governor changed his
personal staff because of my scoop – Eddie
Akpomera, ex-GM, Bendel Newspapers
By BUCHY ENYINNAYA, Asaba
Wednesday,
September 26, 2007
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Eddie Akpomera
Photo: SunNews Publishing
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For Mr. Eddie Akpomera, former general manager and chief
executive officer of Bendel Newspapers Limited, life without
the pen profession is unimaginable. He recalls his exploits.
And they include the sweet and bitter.
Background
I am a graduate of Mass Communication from the University
of Nigeria, Nssuka. I was the best graduating student in 1985.
I had my Master’s degree in International Relations.
I am a Ph.D student of the University of Benin.
I was appointed as the youngest chief executive of the state-owned
newspaper company, The Observer, in July 2003. It was a favour
from God, and master-stroke by Governor Lucky Igbinedion to
promote professionalism and spirit of national integration
by appointing a Deltan to head Edo State-owned public parastatal
for two and half years.
With a staff strength of 230, I succeeded in infusing new
core values of integrity and teamwork that elevated the newspapers,
during the period to the most current and consistent regional
titles being reviewed daily on NTA Network morning programme.
I was daily involved in initiating, re-writing and planning
the front page for maximum appeal to readers, and it worked
wonders. I won three awards for being the most enterprising
young newspaper chief executive in the region.
Career challenges
After graduation from UNN in 1985, I did the National Youth
Service Corps (NYSC) with New Nigerian Newspapers in Kaduna
as features writer cum sub editor. From sub editing, I was
reporting and doing commentaries. Then one day, a young man
came from The Guardian Newspapers, and invited me to the office
in Lagos. On getting there, I was surprised by the humility
and friendliness of then editor, Mr. Lade Bunuola . I thought
I would work in the features department, but I was posted
to the newsroom to be a reporter. That was the first time
I was in Lagos.
First assignment
The first assignment I got was to look for where Epe is and
locate the primate of the Anglican Communion, Right Reverend
Abiodun Adetiloye for an interview. I thank God that despite
my fears, I was able to carry out the assignment . That was
the first report I wrote in The Guardian and I got a by-line.
Then, it was an achievement. My colleagues who were older
bought me drinks and congratulated me. One of them said: “Young
man , you have really joined us.”
I was lucky to have been posted to Benin, then Bendel State
capital. And I think I did prove my mettle. I was one of the
few that were promoted virtually every year. And that was
because of the assessments; your stories were assessed objectively.
At the end of the year, the total score was given and most
times, I was lucky to get the number one. I got promotion
because my stories were largely exclusive. How I was able
to do this? No government official or news source would willingly
give you information.What I did was to make sure that I had
friends. You make friends. You cultivate friends. Every credible
journalist should cultivate friendship in the office, outside
the office.
I was able to get documents. I was able to get credible information.
I had news sources that were even those who were in the decision-making
process. I had news sources in very high places. Even governors,
commissioners were my news sources. But they were confidential.
So, when stories broke and I got to know, I called them. They
talked to me. They gave me information.
I was arrested many times. I was detained for writing stories
and revealing decisions of government. Everybody was wondering
how I got the information. I was detained for leaking official
secrets.They called it official secrets because they were
in government. To me, it was a matter of public interest.
Fraud that was going on… the documentation were there,
and the State Executive Council had just finished its meeting.
I was the only journalist who had the information. This was
during the military era. So, it was much more difficult.
Experience in detention
There are two things.When you have done a hot story, you should
expect reactions. No journalist should sit back. For every
report you dish out, you must have a two-edge. Either some
people would appreciate it or somebody is very uncomfortable.
So, when you are picked, usually the first question they ask
you is, where or who gave you this story. Most times, the
government is not interested in journalists suffering, getting
killed, maimed or something like that.
They want to get to the source of that leakage. Because of
me, a military governor changed all his personal staff- from
confidential or personal secretary up to the cleaner. Why?
Because I had a photocopy of a file he had a piece of important
information. He didn’t know where I got it from. I was
with the State Security Service (SSS) for three days.
The governor called me, saying, tell me who gave you? I am
not interested in all this. I don’t want to hurt you.
I told him the profession does not allow me to tell him where
I got what from.The police asked the same questions. If your
sources are not credible, you, the journalist, would lose
respect. But if they are credible, they beg you. It is now
up to you to do two things-protect your source or reveal your
source. You will lose your credibility and the source, his
job if you reveal him.
For reporting a renovation work that was going on in government
house, they said it was a security zone. I was detained by
Gen Tunde Ogbeha, then military governor of old Bendel State.
He is now a senator. I asked him: “Your residence is
in government house. Everything here is paid for with tax
payers’ money. The renovation work is going on publicly,
with tax payers’ money and I felt, you have been in
the hotel for one month, and I said, ‘ let us just talk
about it. If I were you, you are yet to move into government
house properly.’ That’s how I ran into trouble.
He later appreciated my point.
He said: ‘Look, I would have detained you, but you are
a young man. I would rather want to make you my friend. And
that helped a lot because he understood that the job of a
journalist was actually to hold him accountable, and informing
the public about what he is doing. It was an experience that
I think every journalist should try and taste because it helps
to strengthen you. It gives you professional honour. Even
the police and security service respect us a lot. They just
pretend, because they have a job to do. In fact, they know
that we also help them to do the job, because they need information
to work with.
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