We have advanced the Anioma nation using the media and public relations - Patrick Ochei, NUJ Chairman, Delta State Chapter

We have advanced the Anioma nation using the media and public relations

-          Patrick Ochei, NUJ Chairman, Delta State Chapter  

He can best be described as ‘power house’ in Anioma media as his experience in this endeavour counts. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Delta State Council and formerly, Chairman of Community Newspaper Publishers Association of Nigeria (CONPAN), Delta State Chapter. Comrade Patrick Nweike Ochei, publisher of Anioma Trust Newspaper speaks to EMEKA ESOGBUE on issues bothering o

n his personality and the Anioma nation in general. Excerpts:

Esogbue: Mr. Patrick Ochei, it feels good now that we have eventually caught up with you for this interview. Can you do a short introduction of your humble self to our teeming readers?

Ochei:  I am Comrade Patrick Nweike Ochei, a native of Issele-Uku in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State. I attended Egbune Primary School and Eziani Secondary Commercial College for my primary and secondary education respectively in Issele-Uku. After my secondary school in 1997, I moved to Lagos where I did some menial jobs and petty trading before getting employed with Costain (WA) Plc in 1998 as a Time/Store Keeper. I worked for some years and in the process did GCE, PCE and UME which qualified me to gain admission into Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi in 2001 to study Mass Communication. Today, I am a proud holder of HND in Mass Communication (Print Option), alongside a Proficiency Certificate in Financial Reporting from West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) in 2007 and an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in 2018. I publish and edit Anioma Trust and by the grace of God, the current Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council. I am married to the wife of my youth, Zeniat with three children.

Esogbue: It feels good to see that you actually have a rich profile. That is good. Comrade Ochei, since 2011, you have been the publisher of Anioma Trust, gathering newsworthy information within the Anioma nation and disseminating same in the interest of your readers. Just how did this journey start for you?

Ochei: Thank you, Elder Emeka Esogbue. Well, I started publishing Anioma Trust News-Magazine officially in 2011 like you rightly noted. But before then I had ensured the registration of my business name being Wikinson Publishing in 2010. I had always had the inspiration to do things my own way. Right from school in Auchi, I published the 'Image Magazine' and immediately after my NYSC in 2007, I had wanted to start up the publishing business, but was constrained by the start-up capital. I tried to work to raise money but job wasn't forthcoming. That was when I went back to my former boss, the Publisher of Afenmai News-Magazine, Mr. Columbus Inuwanu whom I did my one year compulsory Industrial Training with. He engaged me. Though most of the job I did for him was voluntary, I learnt a lot from him. To start, I had to reach out to three of my friends, Habib Ikhelowa, Eric Anyasi and Emeke Awolo who gave me N20,000 each. With that I was able to travel down to Delta from Lagos, gathered news and printed my maiden edition. My interactions opened me up to a lot of persons and organizations who were doing great things for our people at the time. I joined Umu Anioma Foundation Worldwide, I got to know about OFAAC and I met you, Historian Emeka Esogbue and many others. Going forward, I initiated ‘Anioma Man of the Year Award’ under the platform of Anioma Media Award (AMA). And for transparency and credibility, I set up a Committee to nominate, screen and select prospective personalities for the award; and you, Historian Emeka Esogbue was nominated the Chairman of that committee by other members. Also in the membership of that committee were people like Priest Pius Osiegbu, Elder Joe Onyibe and Late Barbara Ayodeji Okoruwa among others. They did a great job, and happily, in the first year of the constitution of that committee, we honoured Arc. Kester Ifeadi for his OFAAC initiative, the second award went to Chief Awele Nwabuokei because of the Ogwashi-Uku Cultural Organization which as an initiative helped in restoring peace in Ogwashi-Uku and then HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu, the Omu Anioma because of the cultural branding she gave to Anioma Nation over the years. The award practically stopped on the discovery that other groups imitated the idea and started giving ‘Anioma Man of the Year Award’ to every Dick and Harry for financial gains. Credibility was my watchword for initiating the award in the first place, so we ended it in order not to be entangled in anything that is not credible and transparent by majority judgment. And so, I want to sincerely appreciate that you, Elder Emeka Esogbue had been with us all these years, contributing articles, advice and guide in all ways that the project Anioma course.

Esogbue: (cuts in)… Oh, Comrade Patrick Ochei, thank you very much for your kind words and the opportunity offered me by your Wikinson Publishing. Now, again, you are the Vice-Chairman of Delta State Chapter of Nigerian Union of Journalists. As an Anioma indigene that has risen thus far in journalism, what can you say has been the good impacts of this body to the Anioma nation?

Ochei: By all standards, media is indispensable for the progress of any society. We have made great impacts in advancing Anioma nation, using journalism and public relations. I give it to Her Royal Majesty Obi Martha Dunkwu who has used her public relations expertise to help in positioning Anioma amongst the comity of nations. When she spotted me, she refused to let me go until I was fully compelled and indoctrinated into the core belief of propagating and promoting Anioma intrinsic values, norms, traditions, culture and identity. There is nowhere in the world today that you mention Anioma and you will not get a compliment for the beautiful brand of our identity. Once again, I will also give it to you, my colleague and historian, Emeka Esogbue, together we have indeed projected Anioma nation so well. That is the power of the media.

Esogbue: Comrade Ochei, I thank you for the compliment. Still on the media, one may be constrained to ask: Do pressmen enjoy relative freedom in Nigeria under this present Buhari administration?

Ochei: We do to an extent. It is not automatic. When you deviate from the ethical principles of journalism to begin to blackmail political office holders, what you see is what you get. Though President Buhari is seen as a military man and not media friendly because of the incidences of the past and some skirmishes of present day media antagonistic postures of the President; journalists must be seen as professionals and partners in nation building, not seen to be pandering towards politics.

Esogbue: Comrade Ochei, let us return to Anioma. Recently, my Governor; your Governor, His Excellency, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa was honoured by the Anioma people in Delta State. Would you say his score card, so far merits this honour or is it a matter of Anioma connection as some would allege?

Ochei: The Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa merited that honour. You see, if we don't celebrate our own now, outsiders will capitalize on the negative and play politics with it. We have all seen the policy thrust and direction of the Okowa-led Administration, and I can attest to the fact that the Governor means well. With his scorecard so far, he deserves a second term. My worry initially was the way the politicians hijacked the occasion. I believed the celebration should have come under the aegis of Izu Anioma, being the umbrella body of Anioma nation. Thank God the anomaly was resolved with personalities like Chief Philip Asiodu coming into the show. But again, this is where we seriously need the input of the Governor to help galvanize and harmonize Anioma nation into its rightful apex fold, which is Izu Anioma.

Esogbue: Mr. Ochei, so let us ask you: As an illustrious son of Issele-Uku, do you think Hon Emeka Nwaobi has ably represented this community? And as one of his known Aides, would you particularly assert that Issele-Uku, in particular has a reason to thank him?

Ochei: Hon. Engr. Emmanuel Emeka Nwaobi FNSE, FNICE, the "Oji Chukwu Bulu-Uzor 1 of Aniocha North" is a God sent, not only to Issele-Uku, but to Aniocha North and Delta State in general. We have not seen this kind of representation before. He has not disappointed Issele-Uku at all, and as we speak, the entire community of Issele-Uku and Aniocha North are indebted to this progressive young man with loads of thanks. Issele-Uku as a people have a history of those who left indelible footprints in their developmental sand of time like Late Rev. S. W. Martin, Dr. Emmanuel Ojei, Chief P. C. Nwaodua and now, with special reference to Hon. Engr. Emeka Nwaobi. If his predecessors like Chief Krees Njiokwuemeni and Engr. Victor Ochei had done a quarter of what Nwaobi has done in just two years, Aniocha North would have been a Paradise on earth. People would say is it not road, arguing that the roads are being done by the Governor. But let me tell you, those roads had always surfaced in the budgets before 2015. How come they were not done when the state was in money or rather when the then Member, Victor Ochei became a Speaker by providence? Ochei in particular had always given reasons that the politics of Asaba and the leaders would not allow him ensure those roads were fixed, but that if he became Speaker in his third term, he would do much more. But what still happened when he became the number three citizen of the state, wielding so much power and controlling enormous resources? He still could not do anything because he was blinded by the quest for self aggrandizement at the expense of development in his Constituency. Hon. Emeka Nwaobi has more than represented Aniocha North Constituency adequately, in terms of road infrastructures attracted and executed, building and rehabilitation of classroom blocks in schools, education support fund to indigent undergraduates, physical empowerment to prospective entrepreneurs, feeding of indigent families in the Local Government Area with his monthly salaries and more. My brother, I have not seen a representative give empowerment of more than N20,000 to over 25 persons in the local government area before. Hon. Nwaobi's last empowerment was N50,000 each to 203 youths and women, while undergraduates got scholarships of N100,000 each for over 50 of them. That is representation based on passion and honest orientation for service.

Esogbue: Thank you for the analysis on Hon Engr Emeka Nwaobi. Still on Issele-Uku, your community, are there any particular areas this community requires urgent government attention?

Ochei: (cuts in) we need water! There is urgent need for a functional water scheme in Issele-Uku. Hon. Emeka Nwaobi has done well by attracting a Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs Solar Water Scheme, which is about 850 feet deep borehole project, but after completing the project with water flowing, it was discovered that the solar could not operate the borehole. And so there is urgent need for a high capacity generator, but because it was not budgeted for, we may need to wait until it is appropriated for. Again, Hon. Nwaobi made effort to resuscitate the existing water works in Issele-Uku which stopped working about 30 years ago. That again, water is running, what is remaining is to complete the piping project going on in the town to enable individuals connect water into their compounds, which will also require prepaid metering. Nonethe less, we also need a tertiary institution to compensate for the efforts of our illustrious architect of modern Issele-Uku, Late Rev. S. W. Martin towards changing the educational rhetoric of not just Delta State, but beyond. Our highly revered king, HRM Agbogidi Obi Nduka made this demand too sometime when he paid a visit to the Governor.

Esogbue: Thank you very much. This issue of media is really of interest to me so I will like to take you back to journalism once again. Your critics complain that the style of reportage employed by majority of publishers in the state somewhat lacks criticisms of societal ills; but principally about promotion of major actors and captains of the industry. As a former Chairman of Community Publishers, Delta State Chapter, can you disprove this claim?

Ochei: Yes, I align with this truism to an extent. First, community journalism is about developmental journalism. It's about gathering news information and disseminating to the locals in a language they understand and as simple as possible; vis-à-vis getting feedback to the government. It's not an easy job but people don't understand. You are covering your community where you are well known and people hold you in trust of their information and perception about government. You require diplomacy and you need to understand the nitty-gritty of community journalism to function effectively as a community journalist; otherwise you will be pushed out of circulation and face credibility blackmail. Again, most publishers are in the community newspaper publishing business as after-thought; they neither understand the essence nor realize that it is not just for survival mission. When I was the Chairman of Community Newspaper Publishers Association of Nigeria (CONPAN), Delta State Chapter, these are some of the things I wanted to change. I wanted publishers to truly appear as business people and not some beggars, quacks or touts believing in these tokens to survive. But you know, in Delta anything goes. If you are not condescending to their level and they see you as a threat, they could come after your life. Looking at all this, I decided to venture into NUJ politics which is an organized Labour platform.

Esogbue: In addition to your objective response, these critics also maintain that the style lacks investigation and that in most cases, these publishers are always after "brown envelopes" to the detriment of assisting players in need to disseminate information to the general public thereby causing them to look for alternative measures. Is this fallout of your response earlier?

Ochei: Yes, like I said before, majority of publishers are not even qualified to be so addressed. They don't have experience in journalism or trained in the art of journalism before venturing into the trade. Myself for example, I read Mass Communication and my best course was Community Journalism and Broadcast. So, it was not out of place for me to have practiced shortly after school and then ventured into publishing for the purposes of informing, educating and entertaining my community with news worthy articles suitable for my people. Also speaking about investigation, it comes in different forms - the short, the medium and the long term of it. Investigative journalism is pretty expensive, only well established media houses embark on such. Community Newspaper publishers merely want to survive and of course their publications are time bound, which may hamper them from embarking on such long investigations like you are suggesting.

Esogbue: Do they as publishers in the state smile to the bank? Our readers are likely to ask this particular question

Ochei: Not as you think. There are a few of us who could boast of having our own cars and even maintaining them. How many of us are consistent with our publications? There are no corporate patronages; government only selects maybe two publications from each Senatorial District for adverts only maybe twice a year, Democracy Day and Christmas Season for Governor's Christmas Greetings. And what they pay may only help you offset your printing cost for that edition and nothing extra for your pocket. Some of us are still afloat because of our passion for the job and how committed and dogged we are. We survive basically on individual relationships; and may be that is why you were particular about praise-singing in your question.

Esogbue: Some Ndokwa/Ukwuani people have also complained that not much information about their region goes to the general public through Anioma publishers? Why is there no balancing as to accommodate these parts of Anioma?

Ochei:  Every publication has its own catchment area, from where you can identify some main areas of focus. For example, I publish Anioma Trust, which means that the entire nine local government areas in Delta North Senatorial District fall under my jurisdiction. And I am from Issele-Uku, but resident in Asaba. No matter how you see it, news from within Asaba and Issele-Uku will definitely form the prominent blocs in my publication. But usually I do balancing by ensuring that news from every locality gets into every of my editions. Of course, we have other publications which particularly take care of these areas like Ndokwa Vanguard, Ika Weekly, etc. However, it is not usually easy for us, our well meaning individuals hardly find it interesting to identify with us financially, except may be during elections. I used to travel round most towns and villages, gathering news, but it was very difficult. But we will continue to do our best, especially paying those that supply us information from the hinterlands.

Esogbue: Are there some things our readers do not really know about Comrade Patrick Nweike Ochei? Please share with them.

Ochei: I am simply Chukwunweike Patrick Ochei. I am not a desperate person. I love God dearly and fear to offend Him. 

Esogbue: It was nice speaking with you.

Ochei: Thank you and God bless.