By Chima Ndubuisi
Prince Emeka Obasi
In Nigerian journalism, empty drums like Emeka make the most bedlam and somewhat profiteer from that because their victims and prospective victims are so timid and easily cowed into pacifying the extortionist clan of Emeka’s genre of journalists.
Ask any reputable journalist in Nigeria if Emeka has ever practised credible—serious, in loose parlance—journalism all his entire intimidating career. Most respected members of this noble profession see Emeka more as a sweet-tongued, swindler with sugar-coated tongue with which he uses to hoodwink unsuspecting captains of industry and bank CEOs most especially.
Emeka pretends to be a publisher. All the kwashiorkor publications he purportedly published and still publishes never survived let alone blossom. It surprised many journalists and investors when he tricked Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim into buying the carcass that has been rejuvenated at the unimaginable cost of N530 million when indeed half of that amount could have been properly used to establish a flourishing newspaper—not the haunted National Mirror which is yet to shed the newspapering fatalism associated with Emeka.
Ask anyone that has worked or is still working for Emeka in previous establishments or the latest tragic mimicry called Business Hallmark Newspapers his level of staff salary indebtedness and unprecedented frequency of employee turnover on account of this obligatory lacuna and you will be amazed by his level of callousness and nonchalance.
Yet he falsely lives like an imperial Lord from the money he ingeniously obtains from corporate bodies and moneybags who do not know him well or are afraid of his nuisance capacity. Mr. Blessing Onumajuru and others died partly on account of accumulated and unpaid entitlements owed them by this cunning megaphone.
How many editors have edited Hallmark Newspaper since its inception less than a year ago? None of them lasted more than three months! The same turnover afflicts other staff.
Ask most past and current bank CEOs whether they have ever encountered a chronic liar like Emeka Obasi and hear a litany of stories and tale of woe. Which of them has Emeka not harassed to submission? If you doubt me, ask Mr. Ayodele Aminu, a frontline Assistant Editor (Business), and indeed former business editors like Chijama Ogbu, Enitar Ugwu, Amos Adetunji, ad infinitum, who professionally interface with bank CEOs and other captains of industry, if they know the pugnacious relationship between Emeka and financial institutions particularly and other blue-chip organisations.
If you see any corporate advert in Hallmark Newspaper, go and find out the history. It could never have been a function of the quality, spread (reach) and credibility of the medium, but essentially a product of blackmail. The immediate past CEO of Fidelity Bank, Mr. Ihejiani and some of his contemporaries can confirm this.
How did Hallmark Newspaper come into existence? Emeka conned, normally, the former Chairman and CEO/MD of defunct Hallmark Bank PLC, Chief Marc Wabara, into parting with some hundreds of millions for the establishment of floundering Hallmark Newspapers shortly before the largesse from Barrister Ibrahim whose windfall for Emeka went into the obscene burial of Emeka’s father whom he never cared for while he was alive.
The spending spree, according to those who attended the lavish burial, was symptomatic of Emeka’s prodigality in search of postmortem paternal forgiveness!
When we talk of journalism in its proper context, a duper like Emeka should not ascribe such nobility to himself. He does not deserve to be called one or even be associated with such a hallowed profession. He knows this himself.
Can he boldly bring some of his articles for assessment by an evaluation panel of experts? Masquerading and parading about as a top-class writer is sheer self-deception for in the firmament of journalistic distinction in Nigeria, thoroughbred and accomplished journalists know themselves and are known by colleagues. A few names that ring bell will suffice in no particular order: Debo Adesina. Eniola Bello, Segun Ayobolu, Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, Femi Adesina, Mike Awoyinfa, Steve Nwosu, et al.
Chima Ndubuisi is Aba, Abia State based journalist.
Editor’s Note: views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not reflect the editorial policy of The City Reporters.
