By Ben Okezie
As a reporter with the defunct National Concord newspapers, l was benched in the newsroom to assist the News Editor, Mr. Layi Bamgboye, to flesh out news from press releases issued by companies, state governments and agencies of government. One day, l rebelled and the news editor who could not stomach my stubbornness and unruly behavior, stormed out of the newsroom. Minutes later he came back in company with the Editor, Mrs. Doyin Abiola, wife of the owner of the newspaper.
She asked the news editor, “where is he? The News Editor pointed in my direction. What dropped from her mouth was a bombshell that was like a punitive measure. “Send him to the port, to fight the port rats. Immediately after the pronouncement, she turned and jerkingly left the newsroom. The newsroom went calm like a graveyard. Minutes after, the news editor pointed at me and decreed, “Ben, you are henceforth posted to the Tin-Can Island port to cover all the activities which include Customs, Police, and other relevant security agencies operating in the port. As the eyes of the few reporters in the newsroom were fixed toward the news editor, he added, “Make sure you don’t miss any story.”
Before the close of work that day, an official letter for my posting was handed to me instructing me to commence the coverage of the ports the next day. That was in 1982. Low and behold man proposes but God disposes. Again, the sudden posting turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
A week after my posting, the news editor called to appreciate my dedication and resourcefulness in getting stories, especially exclusive stories. On one of those days, l uncovered the looting of a Customs warehouse where port hoodlums known as port Rats had perforated the warehouse from the sea side to enable them gain access into the warehouse and cart away seized items and escaping through the sea. Photographs were taken and the story made the National Concord headline.
Impressively, a financial reward from the office followed. The next day, l resumed to do a follow-up story and unfortunately, while investigating around the venue, two uniformed men called my name from behind and as l turned to respond, a strong hand grabbed my shoulder. Low and behold, that was how l was arrested and dragged before the area administrator Apapa Port who turned out to be Mr Atiku Abubakar who on seeing me in his office directed his orderly whom l later identified as Mr Pariya,( now late ) to invite the public relations officer, Mr Innocent Okoye, a man with heavy mustache like the tv drama series Samanja. After the initial gra-gra and intimidation, a relationship was kindled between us and Okoye inclusive. The relationship blossomed until l got double promotion from reporter to Assistant Chief Correspondent and was posted to Enugu as Concord Group Head in 1983.
Unknown to me, Mr Atiku Abubakar was following my progress. One day in 1988 , by then, l had passed through Benue State and was then the Chief Correspondent of Concord group in Cross River State when Atiku came visiting as a top Customs officer and he asked the Customs State Comptroller to locate me and invite me to his hotel in Calabar. There he discussed his new mission in life and told me of his intention to run as a presidential candidate but l advised him to the contrary with reasons which he accepted. I advised him to reconsider his decision and instead run as a gubernatorial candidate for Adamawa State.
In 1992 l was promoted as an Assistant News Editor and was transferred back to the newsroom in Lagos. One day, the office phone rang and it was Atiku inviting me to meet him at his lkoyi residence. While l was with him for breakfast, he told me of his meetings with MKO Abiola whom he found as a political friend and associate. One take away was the way he marveled at the depth of MKO, pointing to him as a reservoir of proverbial sayings. He then encouraged me to try and compile these proverbs into a book. Instantly, he gave me the sum of Six thousand Naira (N6,000) for the project. That was how l was introduced into book writing and publishing with ‘Palm wine of modern politics: The proverbs of MKO Abiola.’
Ever since then, I have had five other books in bookshops around the country. Again, Atiku invited me to his home state in Adamawa to handle his media as a governorship candidate. I was with him for several months and left after he won the election which was later annulled by lbrahim Babangida.
In all, Atiku never looked down on me nor was there any ethnic or religious disdain even when I brought my friend, Mr Chris Mammah, from The Punch newspaper through the help of Ademola Oshinubi who was then the editor to assist me with the media work load. Atiku was very friendly and exhibited humility traits that have over the years been part of my imbibed principle of him.
He never frowned that l brought a Christian instead of a northerner and Muslim to assist me. He was completely at home with us. He took his breakfast with us; discussed problematic issues with us.
Truly he is an embodiment of a true Nigerian friend.That is the hallmark of a good leader. You can now see why Atiku Abubakar is my friend.
Elder Ben Okezie, popularly called Civilian IG, is an Abuaja-based veteran journalist.