It was after a second thought that I decided to give this topic another mention in this column. One significant issue that has continued to trail the existence of one of the newest tabloids in Imo State, the Imo Trumepta is threat to life to its publishers, and editorial staff. From the inception of this home-made local newspaper, some forces who are poised to ensure that it does not maintain its position on the newsstands, have invented several unwholesome acts to cut short the operations of the 20 month-old.
Mixed reactions and misguided speculations greeted Trumpeta Newspapers debut in the local print media industry. Expectedly, the identity of the publishers namely Messrs Gerry Ogu, Henry Ekpe and my humble self sent shivers down the spines of co-travelers in the newspaper business as well as other stakeholders in the present administration in Imo state who for unknown reasons are uncomfortable with the partnership.
Apart from our undoubted rich journalistic pedigree taking into consideration the number of years we have put into the pen profession and having served as political appointees in the immediate past government, protagonists of the Owelle Rochas Okorocha government expressed disgust at the birth of the newspaper by labeling us as the mouthpiece of their political foes who were hitherto conquered in an inglorious political war confirmed by the controversial May 6, 2011 Supplementary Election victory. Despite our avowed disposition that we are back to the pen pushing job as seasoned journalists willing to play according to the rules and rehabilate our carriers after serving career politicians, the Rescue Missionaries continue to misconstrue our return to the beat.
In a bid to stifle life out of us, and ground our operations, these supposed anti democratic forces desirous of forcing us out from the newsstands adopted strategic measures to make their threats a reality. They began with threat messages and calls through anonymous means. Their mischievous agenda was realized when our corporate office on Item Street, Ikenegbu was attacked by some persons. Yet to be apprehended persons at the close of production broke into our corporate headquarters where they not only ransacked our individual offices for possible vital documents but also took away valuable items including laptops and cash. The attack which took us by surprise was the first signal that we have been granted persona non grata into the murky waters of print media industry.
As if that was not enough to cage us, they began to unleash mayhem on the editorial team. My partner, co-publisher, co-Director and Editor in-Chief of the newspaper, Henry Ekpe became their first victim. On the day of the judgment of the Governorship Election Tribunal on November 6, 2011, Ekpe escaped death by whiskers as sponsored thugs of APGA extraction believed to be acting on the instructions of some highly placed government appointees descended on him. It was by the grace of God that the former Editor of Announcer Newspaper and later Chief Press Secretary to Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim almost met his untimely death when the hired political thugs adorning APGA vests and uniforms assaulted and manhandled Ekpe at the Owerri High Court premises. Ekpe had gone with our ace cameraman to cover the proceedings before a handful of APGA supporters reported to be acting under instructions, ambushed Ekpe as he made his way out of the court premises. When the political gangsters identified him through a link person who pointed his finger at our Editor in Chief, Ekpe was thoroughly molested and kicked inside the nearby gutter of the Owerri High Court Road after his phones, cash and other valuable items were snatched away.
After Ekpe, other colleagues in Trumpeta Editorial group had a fair share of the threat to life. Since it was one of the expected hazards in the pen pushing profession, we soaked it and continued with the risky job. However, a worrisome development erupted when guest columnists and contributors to the newspaper began to receive ferocious attacks to their lives via phone calls and text messages. From Christian Akpunonu to Prof Uzoma Protus Nathan, some yet to be identified but undesirable elements threatened to eliminate them for their write ups. The threat, according to them is more pronounced whenever they engaged in constructive criticisms against the present administration in Imo state. In a recent statement made available to the newspaper, Prof Protus, a regular columnist and lecturer in Imo State University alleged that his life is in danger following several threat messages relayed to his phone. The message states how some persons have vowed to sniff life out of him. Protus went further to state that some dubious minded persons have also hacked his phone number for criminal purposes.
Prof Protus is a bit lucky in his case as another contributor Ifeanyi Okponwa Eze is facing severe conditions for contributing in Trumpeta Viewpoint. Okponwa Eze, a seasoned journalist based in Owerri had written a piece concerning Politics and Chairmanship position in Ideato North. The newspaper editorial crew while publishing Okponwa’s contribution placed the picture of the Member representing the area, Hon (Mrs) Eudora Igwe alongside the commentary. The placement of the picture which was undertaken without bias or prejudice attracted spontaneous reactions from the camp of the Igwes who called Trumpeta team to demand for a retraction and threat of court action if it was ignored. Okponwa Eze is still at the receiving end of consistent threat and phone attacks. Alarmed by the barrage of attacks and vicious manner the Igwe’s misconstrued the publication, the Owerri-based journalist claimed he went into hiding to avoid loosing his life the way others did in Ideato North locality. Recent Newspaper reports indicate that men of the State Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (SIIB) of the Imo State Police Command is handling the matter to determine the veracity or otherwise of the allegations from Okponwa Eze.
Having discussed the threat issues as if affects others in Trumpeta family, it is important I relay my personal experience to the public. Since the debut of my column, no edition passed without a threat. The threat calls and messages became more pronounced and severe that I had no option than to inform the suspected hired killers that I am available for their guns, matchets and killer weapons anywhere, anytime and any place they want me. I however reminded them that their threats spur me into more actions and make my ink to flow freely. I reminded them of an inspirational saying by one of the country’s greatest literary giants, Chinua Achebe who said “one of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised”. I also notified them that another guru in the literature world, Wole Soyinka in one of his famous sayings noted that “books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth”. They were forced to recoil and seize the sporadic calls and messages when I began to make their phone numbers public in subsequent write ups after each threat. One of them who I later identified at a social function could not help but tell me that I have transcended from Agwodinuju “Snake in its cave” to Agwo na atu-atu “A biting snake”. And we laughed over the matter and went different ways.
However, my worries over threats took a different turn when some political and elected office holders from my locality and friends who know me in the past began to complain and tell anybody who cares to listen that I am their burden. Apart from telling people that I instigate unfavourable stories against them. In Trumpeta, they also accuse me of authoring negative news items against the newspaper I work as a mere reporter, contributor and a co-publisher. One of the persons is somebody I will always consider as one of my boss and political leader in Ohaji/Egbema, Hon Chief Luke Chukwu, and Member representing Ohaji/Egbema in Imo State House of Assembly. I am privileged to be briefed about Hon Chukwu’s complaints by some persons he told. Even as he did not make a direct reference to me in his recent reaction to a story published in Weekend Trumpeta Popular Side page, I need no soothsayer or oracle master to discover that the innuendo and metaphors used in responding to the item refer to me. Again, the body language of the House Member when I met him since he won the election to represent my constituency is a clear indication that he bears unquenchable animosity against me for unjustified reasons. I attended a burial in his Umuapu Community which is a neigbouring town to my Community in Nov. 2011. While I was standing with some folks at the venue of the burial. Hon Chukwu who went to pick something from his vehicle was passing where I stood. While I was exchanging pleasantries with the “guys” I met around, the Honourable member passed us. The two “guys” failed to utter a word to him but I graciously said “Honourable Good Day Sir”. To my greatest chagrin, Hon Chukwu shunned my greeting and maintained “eyes front” feigning ignorance of my presence and greeting. The “guys” who witnessed the incident blamed me for evoking the embarrassment by informing me that I attracted the insult. I laughed over the matter before one of his old reliable political soul mate who also witnessed the dishonourable scene ran to inform me that their “man” is an apostle of hate campaign and vengeance mission. Before I go further, permit me to detail the filial affinity and mutual relationship I have with my brother lawmaker. My expressions invariably will make readers understand the story better. I met Chukwu in 2003 through a cousin and the then President of National Council of Ohaji Youths, NACOY, Prince Rollyngs Ohagwam when I arrived Owerri from Lagos as the state correspondent of a national daily New Age newspaper, now rested. Chukwu was one of the Ohaji/Egbema born politicians who I related within in the course of discharging my duties. My principal who I served as Chief Press Secretary (CPS) in Imo State House of Assembly as Speaker, Rt Hon Goodluck Nanah Opiah belongs to that cadre. From the time Chukwu was transition Committee Chairman till his tenure as Executive Chairman of Ohaji/Egbema LGA 2004-2006, I worked closely with him and could be described as one of his “Press boys”. We had eventful moments as journalists from his area gave him the needed support to succeed. Our affinity was modest and heartwarming that Chukwu played a vital role to the success of my Church wedding as he sponsored the musical group that entertained guests during the reception. He also graced the occasion where I had the “Chairman’s Dance” with him. Speaking during the occasion, Chukwu relayed how dear I was to him including my wife who he gave opportunity to do her one year Industrial Training (IT) programme in the council. Our rosy relationship continued as he was also one of those who honoured the thanksgiving and child dedication of my first son where he donated an amount of money to my local parish church. I appreciated all these gestures and continued to relate well with Chukwu during my days as CPS to the Speaker.
In all my narration, I never knew where I offended my brother lawmaker to warrant the unnecessary altercations insinuated by his complaints to people that I am using Trumpeta to engage in “transferred aggression”. I want to ask Hon Chukwu if my offence was that I served the person he contested against for the Ohaji/Egbema Assembly seat as media aide during his four-year stint as Imo Speaker. I guess that is my sin because I neither have dragged land, property, woman, money nor publicly disagreed with Chukwu.
Does Chukwu expect me to be a bloody ingrate by abandoning my principal who chose me among my contemporaries to serve him as CPS, and back his House of Assembly agenda against my boss because of our years of good relationship? If he was in Opiah’s shoes, how would he react if he notices I was a saboteur? I have no cause to work against Opiah because I enjoyed the working relationship because our romance went beyond master-servant as it was more of brother-to-brother and paddy-to-paddy affair. Till date, the Speaker Emeritus remains my role model and I have no apologies to anyone for my stance.
Chukwu should not be worried about me. I wish him the best of luck in his desire to speak Ohaji/Egbema voice in the House of Assembly issues pertaining to many honourable members of Imo House both past and present who are not of Ohaji/Egbema extraction have been x-rayed in the Popular Side page of Imo Weekend Trumpeta. None of them accused any editorial staff of the newspaper. So, why bark at me whenever he is mentioned in Imo Trumpeta.
I don’t expect him to think I will still make his Umuapu country home a pilgrimage centre as I used to do. Hon Chukwu should imbibe the spirit of “Eto-Eto”, the “young shall grow”. If he changes his title from Ochiriozuo “carry and take care for all” to Okwaturuenyi “he who falls the Elephant”, let him bear in mind that one can also bear the Otagburuagu, “He who bites and kill the lion” title tomorrow. Let him believe in the spirit of “live and let’s live”. If he spends the four years waging war against imaginary political foes, history will not forget him. I will use this opportunity to inform him that I cannot be one of his numerous sycophants who besiege him with meaningless tales and gossips. I wish to remind Chukwu that I have never been to his office or private house since he became a member of the state to know the type of cloth or fashion he spots in recent times. And I don’t know and cannot identify his aides to know which of them resigned. It is also important that I point out certain factors that deserve mention before I conclude. This commentary will be incomplete if I don’t inform my distinguished Honourable that he has not called a meeting of Ohaji/Egbema stakeholders, irrespective of party lineage to brief professionals, the clergy, and politicians his stewardship in the State Assembly. I also expect him to also consider sundry issues affecting our people in recent times and know why some federal government road projects have been abandoned in our locality as well as the lamentations of ex-militants who took to the streets recently. Hon Chukwu should also step into the continuous blackout of Ohaji/Egbema Communities due to ISOPADEC’s inability to pay PHCN, their normal entitlements for uninterrupted power supply. This is just a tip of the iceberg.
It is my humble wish to advise Chukwu to broaden his scope of representation by deleting certain primordial tendencies unexpected of a House of Assembly member elected to represent the interest of his constituents not political group or family.
