Nduka Obaigbena At 60: A Note of Appreciation To ‘The Duke’

-

A happy diamond birthday anniversary to ‘The Duke of Journalism’, publisher, founder and chairman of the former ThisWeek magazine, ThisDay newspapers, Arise magazine, Arise Fashion Week, Arise News TV, and a two-time president of Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Prince Nduka Obaigbena. Although my interaction with his ThisDay started on November 18, 2003 when my article was first published in the newspaper, I did not have the opportunity of meeting the media octopus until I joined the services of Arise News TV as an in-house analyst in December 2017.
I remember that fateful day in October 2017 when I got a call from the managing editor of the Abuja office of Arise News TV, Mr. Bayo Awosemo, informing me that “The chairman seems to like your analysis and has asked me to negotiate with you to join our team of news analysts in Abuja”. I promptly took up the offer as I had never been so treated by any of the over thirty print and electronic media that have been featuring me since 1990, when I started my media advocacy voyage. I eventually joined a three-man team of news analysts, comprising Mr. Tony Amadi, Mr. Emmanuel Bello and Mr. Sebastian Agbinda. We were recently joined by Dr. Sam Amadi.
During my first time on the Arise News TV set in August 2017, I marveled at the cutting edge technology being deployed in news production, transmission and casting. Even the choice of Transcorp Hilton as the office for the TV station is very strategic. Although having an office space in a five star hotel may be very expensive, however it makes it easier to draw in the ‘movers and shakers’ of Nigerian society to come over to the studio for interviews. Chairman Obaigbena also has a pool of ‘international subject matter experts’ across the globe who analyse news for the station. These are media consultants who get paid for their services. Being a ‘studio rat’ of a sort, who gets regularly invited across many electronic media, this is a pace-setting effort that is peculiar to the Arise News TV. I stand to be corrected on this.
I have also observed that ‘The Duke’ loves giving the youth opportunity to excel. Many of our reporters, producers and newscasters are in their 20s and 30s. He is also an equal opportunity employer with a gender-balanced team. One other thing I like about the prince from Delta State is his high standards. For instance, Arise News TV is only on DSTV and GOTV in Nigeria, as well as on top range channels in Europe and America. With offices in the United Kingdom, Lagos and Abuja, the man has plans to open more offices in his global expansionist agenda.
Sixty hearty cheers to this workaholic, visionary and media mogul. Sir, may you live the rest of your life in good health and joy. Many thanks for the opportunity to serve in your media conglomerate.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wishing you the best of 2010

-
Year 2009 will be off in few hours, it’s probably 2010 already in Australia. To you all my fans who have been encouraging me through your constructive and largely positive feedback, I say a big thank you. In 2009, I have many reasons to thank the Lord. In April, I clocked 40 and in October, it dawned on me that it’s been 19 years since my first piece was published in Daily Sketch. Today, the little acorn has grown to a large oak. In 2009, I spread my tentacles wider and added four more platforms to publishing my articles. They are The Nation, Daily Sun, Daily Independent and Next. Two Magazines/Newsletters, Women Advocate and Voters News also sought my permission to publish some of my published articles in their media. On the whole, to date, I have been published by 17 national newspapers and 11 magazines and newsletters. In July 2009, with the influence and inspiration from a friend, Sola Adetunji, I established my own blog from where those who love my writings can now read my views o...
Read more

Insecurity: Nigerians as endangered specie

-
  Introduction Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria says security and welfare of the citizens shall be the primary purpose of government. In 2024, neither of these two are being enjoyed by Nigerians. Compatriots feel unsafe in their own country and as for welfare, it’s a case of what legendary Afrobeat musician, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti call “Suffering and smiling”. Once upon a time, armed robbery, kidnapping and other crimes were largely restricted to the urban centres with many promising to run and hide in their villages from night marauders and criminals. Sadly, nowhere is safe any longer. The grassroot, I mean people in the communities, are facing so much unrest from criminal elements that they are now leaving their ancestral land in droves to seek refuge in towns and cities that have no succour for them. Truth be told, Nigeria is fast sliding to what the great political philosopher, Thomas Hobbes described in his 1651 famous book titled L...
Read more

Jide Ojo, Asorogbayi, at 55

-
  “ When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done. Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; And it will surprise you what the Lord   hath done” -         Author: Johnson Oatman, Jr. I am not unhappy to be alive. To have lived for fifty-five years on mother earth, especially in a challenging environment like Nigeria calls for celebration. In the last one year since I last celebrated my birthday, a new government has been inaugurated with economic policies that have seen to rising cost of living. My living standard, like those of most of my compatriots, have dropped significantly. I have never borrowed to live as I have had to do recently, no thanks to paucity of consultancy opp...
Read more