A joyful jottings on Eddy Ochigbo at 60!

By OCHE AGWUCHI

Mr. Eddy Ochigbo is the gentleman beside me in this pix. At the time, he was Editor of then famous but now rested Hotline Magazine in Kaduna. Permit me to tell you a short story so you may appreciate why I truly appreciate this man.

I had gone to Hotline to drop an application for employment as a reporter and was told to wait for the Editor to be interviewed. For all the times I was asked to come, I did but Mr. Ochigbo was never on seat.

The day I finally met him, he apologised and told me he had to do a number of trips out of town. We were about settling down for the interview when the publisher, Alhaji Hassan Sani Kontagora (Magajin Rafin Kontagora) walked in. Straight at me he came: "What are you doing here?" he thundered. I told him I was looking for a job. "My friend there is no job here," he replied. "Come," he commanded and I followed him out of the Editor's office. Pointing at another office, he told me, "Go there and introduce yourself to them. If you can write, you have a job but if you can't, I don't ever want to see you here again."

That was the beginning and end of the interview. Now if you know the Magajin Rafi, you would have pictured what happened between us. I must admit it was quite a scary moment. To think that I had no journalism training, not even a day of trying to write for journalistic purposes, I almost made up my mind not to return to that office again but for Eddy Ochigbo.

After the publisher left, I went back to the Editor's office. He asked if I had ever practiced and I answered in the negative. He asked again if I believed I could write and this time my answer was in the positive. He said that was the first thing I needed. He asked me to write on any issue and bring it to him the next day.

The next day, he read my piece and told me I could write. What a boost! From thence, Mr. Ochigbo took to training and personally guiding me. I was given tasks that I completed satisfactorily. Before long, I became the favourite of the publisher. He gave me a room in his house, made sure I ate each time he ate. From a job seeker, I became family. It was all thanks to the tutelage of Mr. Ochigbo.

When I later went to journalism school, I found things rather easy. Mr. Ochigbo prepared me to be the best and for the two different programmes that I undertook, I came out the best each time.

Today is Mr. Ochigbo's birthday. How else do I celebrate such a man than bore you with such lengthy write-up? A very humble fellow he is. He makes writing easy and exciting. Anything he cracks turns out a masterpiece. Lest I forget, he is a table tennis champion.

May God favour you all the days of your long and healthy life. May the riches of heaven be your lot. May the good seeds you have sown grow to become fruits you shall joyfully reap. Happy birthday sir. My Jottings are joyfull, not Joyless sir.

Oche Agwuchi, is an Abuja-based journalist

Comments

Coalition urges COP-27 to fast track advocacy against Climate Change

Participants in a group photograph after the event in Kaduna By EDDY OCHIGBO, A coalition of environmental organizations in Kaduna, under the aegis Extinction Rebellion (XR) - a global movement which seeks to persuade governments to act justly on climate change and ecological emergency - has hosted a pre-COP27, in partnership with Bridge-that-Gap Initiative, to galvanize the campaign against climate change, as the the 27th Conference of Parties slated for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt kicks off. In an exclusive interview with NATIONAL ACCORD, one the coordinators of the event in Kaduna metropolis, Mr Zinta Akpoko, revealed that COP27, Egypt could become a turning point of the campaign, given that forerunners of the conference have since pledged to relentlessly push to prioritize climate financing for developing nations. "The effect of climate change is very evident and we need to be very frank by telling the truth about the inherent dangers tha...

Open Budget: Kaduna seeks citizens' input in 2020 Budget

F ollowing sustained campaign by concerned citizens and critical stakeholders in Kaduna state to open up the budget cycle, the Governor el-Rufa'i-led administration, during the week, engaged the representatives of the academia, community-based organizations, the civil society, women groups and individuals on state's 2020 to 2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework(MTEF) to make next year's budget budget realistic and realizable. The event tagged 'Citizens Consultations on 2020-2022 MTEF' which was put together by the state's Planning and Budget Commission with the support of DFID-funded Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), took a critical look at strategies to forge a people-centered budget with emphasis on transparency, openness and accountability. Co-chair of the Open Government Partnership(OGP) in the state, Alhaji Mustapha Jumare told participants that as a sub national, Kaduna state was indeed a trail brazer in nation's quest ...

Quality Seeds: Farmers call for full Implementation of NASC Act

S equel to the recent signing of the National gricultural Seeds Council (NASC) Amendment Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari into law, the National Agricultural Seeds Advocacy Group (NASAG) during the week, in Abuja, played host to farmers’ associations, cooperatives, the civil society and other critical stakeholders to map out the way forward for the nation’s agricultural sector. The participants who were drawn from the three states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and the FCT, among other things, reviewed engagements in the last quarter, results and challenges therefrom and developed a framework for tracking outcomes of advocacy, visa-vis improvement level so far of farmers’ access to quality seeds, with special emphasis on timely implementations of recommendations from NASAG’s dialogue with farmers. Representatives of the three states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) took turns to outline the inroads they have made in the period...

TRIBUTE: Dr Bala Takaya 1930 - 2018

Bala John Takaya (2nd Left) at a function recently By Nasiru Jagaba Again, with rude shock, death has come upon us in the early hours of Sunday, 27th May, 2018. It is with deepest regret that the Middle Belt Youth Wing of Middle Belt Forum mourns the death of our President, Father, Mentor, and a tireless advocate of equity, fairness and justice, Dr Bala John Takaya, the President of Middle Belt Forum has silently closed the door of life and departed from us, never to return. 68 years old Takaya, an unparalleled University Senior Lecturer, a distinct politician who served as the Secretary to State Government of the old Gongola State, a member of the 1987 Political Bureau. On the fight to restore democratic system of governance, he worked hand in hand with Chief Solomon Lar. Also, in 1999 he was the governorship candidate of the All People’s Party, APP later ANPP. He is much esteemed in the community of Middle Belt and generally recognized as on...

Coalition cautions against Nigeria's Disunity

N etwork for Better Nigeria, a coalition of concerned Civil Society Organizations in the 19 Northern States has responded to the growing tension threatening national unity and socio-economic development of the country and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently collaborate with the governors in the 19 northern states and critical stakeholders to arrest the lingering insecurity in Nigeria. In a joint statement signed by Mallam Isiaku Abdulhameed, the coalition in collaboration with Arewa Youth Consultative Youth Movement, Arewa Youth Assembly and Chanchanta stated inter Alia: "the Federal Government should urgently collaborate with the Northern State Governors and come up with a modernistic livestock development policy which will not only provide solutions to the herders/farmers crises but transform the age long traditional open grazing towards providing additional economic value for pastoral communities. Equally, we wish to express our support on the position...

Cubinks NEWS

Search This Blog