CORNUCOPIA: Governor Dave Umahi and Emmanuel Uzor: the way to go by ODOGWU EMEKA ODOGWU

Anambra state Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists led by Emma Ndukauba is happy with Governor Dave Umahi for elevating one of our own Mr Emma Uzor as his Chief Press Secretary. To God be thy Glory!
It is ridiculous that Anambra state has no CPS in the last three and half years under Governor Willie Obiano and the over 20 member media team were just a bunch of ‘discordant’ tones primed for eye service for filthy lucre? Often preventing members of the fourth estate from doing their constitutional responsibilities. They have created more enemies than Obiano should have.
Despite the high number of appointments, Obiano made none is a journalist from Correspondents Chapel where we have likes of Chuks Ilozue, Tony Nwafor-Okafor and 45 others in active journalism. Never in history of Journalism in Anambra has members complained of lackadaisical attitude of government information managers like now. No information, no food, no nothing? Just gossip against one another for selfish waaaaaaah from the Governor, if you understand.
I await for November 2017 for these packs of SA’s to vanish, Obiano or no Obiano, because should Obiano return, a different surugede would happened as he has learnt that the number of appointments done simply to win election in itself was a problem and the fewer the better. And win or lose, the team must be sacked for a new breadth.
Like him or hate him, Mr Emma Uzor is diligent to his calling. He rattled Onitsha especially hardworking Peter Obi’s administration with his ‘strange’ headlines to the chagrin of other practitioners. He confessed to me one Nweke Nweke, a journalist and Publisher of Third Eye Magazine, also from Ebonyi was his pillar in Onitsha in his early days as he knows about every crime spot.
How he does that remains a mystery but you can go home with any information from him in spite of his biases. I met Nweke before Uzor but didn’t give him attention but later confirmed that he is an investigator par excellence no matter what anyone has against him. He always has all the sides. If it is in a civilized society, he would have been taken by the security agents as Independent Investigator. He is only comparable to another wizard Independent Investigator, Bonaventure Mokwe, try him and get lost. He has all the dossier on everybody, no matter how lowly or highly placed.
When Senator Emmanuel Onwe announced Uzor , I said ‘Daniel has come to judgment’. He is my friend if there is anything like friend in my diary because everybody is my friend and my enemy, depending on the circumstance at hand. He is equally my colleague and member of Correspondents Chapel.
I had reasons to reprimand Mr Emma Anya, former CPS for some unwarranted press statements he issued in the past bringing ridicule to the Umahi led administration. Emma was discovered as a Sub-Editor in Punch by Leo Sobechi Onyekachukwu now Political Editor of Guardian Newspaper from Udi, Enugu state. He also recommended Uzor and two others to his friend Senator Onwe for this job and Uzor came tops for his gods were not asleep at the time of decision taking. Leo has a friend in Umahi and his commissioner Senator Onwe who always fall for Emma in his appointments. I like his swag. Sobechi is an unsung kingmaker in Ebonyi Politics and would have been the CPS in Ebonyi or more if he had wanted but he prefers Ebonyi man to be there. He can’t be everywhere. He knows what he wanted in life and understands that God determines the reward of just dealing. Leo is a man of the people at the corridors of power, yet he hasn’t all the riches himself and is yet to be discovered by his own people probably because of his no nonsense stance. He fears no power but respects authority but the greatest, he has the garb of the profession 100 percent less one. He is a man I have come to respect and admire but can I ever write like him with swag?
When Governor Umahi was a government contractor without any ambition of sorts in politics, Leo and co used the power of the media to throw him up as PDP Acting Chairman and later he became chairman and Deputy Governor. A story for another day.
Anya rather than marry his colleagues with a proactive stance, descended to a combative stance even poking stick into the eyes of Sobechi for a report he could not fault. In fact the issue of 7 day ultimatum for the return of 15 year old girl Uzoamaka Chukwu stripped by her tormentors pitched me with Umahi but this appointment is a soothing balm to us as correspondents. Let more come to correspondents please.
Uzor had two callings, Priesthood and Journalism but he missed being a priest but did not miss being a journalist. He studied Mass Communication in University of Ibadan and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, then, Philosophy, from the Pontificate University, Urban Rome as well as his Latin Diploma from St Joseph University Rome. What a combination!
Uzor was in Ebonyi state briefly before coming to Anambra to represent The Sun in 2010 and challenged me seriously with his exclusives on crime and had no problems with his colleagues and because of one or two ‘street habits’ he engages in, he was attracted by already established guru’s with such habit. And since the medium, is the message, he towered like a colossus in his Onitsha jurisdiction for long before making fora into other zones.
He left Anambra in 2015 to Ebonyi state back as the State Correspondent shortly serving the Correspondents’ Chapel as Secretary.
He did his job well and crossed some lines but in truth and fairness was doing the real duties of a journalist. Of course, the uninitiated won’t like him but those who view journalism as defenders of truth , societal gadfly  and moral barometer fell in love with him.
The attacks came, the lies came but he stood on the truth and today his steadfastness is valued and now he is indeed uplifted to add value based on his training and standing as a pro people journalist. Please Uzor, before now, you were hunting for news but today you are being hunted but one rule is sacrosanct, proactive engagement based on mutual understanding with your former colleagues and superiors makes your job easier than combative approach that would ruin your sojourn.
Before he left Anambra to Ebonyi, Distinguished Senator Uche Ekwunife had discovered his doggedness and took cognizance. He worked for Iyom offline until it was cemented and he was her legislative Aide Media and off to Abuja with all the bile in some quarters, he withered the storm yet remained focused and with eyes on the ball. Today shall we stand for one of our own, Emma Uzor, Ikenga Ndigbo, CPS to Governor Umahi of Ebonyi state.

ODOGWU EMEKA ODOGWU, is an Editor based in South East. He is also the Publisher of www.odogwublog.com , an Online newspaper . He could be reached on [email protected] 
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Photo of Uzor middle taking oath of office as Secretary of Correspondents