Farewell to Ahmed Joda, my wartime boss

If I must tell the truth, when I first met Ahmed Joda in early 1967, I was probably naïve and ignorant about Nigerian issues and he might very well have considered me a novice who was engaging in something I was not ready for. He was the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information […]

If I must tell the truth, when I first met Ahmed Joda in early 1967, I was probably naïve and ignorant about Nigerian issues and he might very well have considered me a novice who was engaging in something I was not ready for.

He was the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and I had lived in Nigeria for less than a year. However, I had made friends with some extraordinarily well informed and professionally competent members of the Ministry’s staff, prominent among whom were Messrs. Scott-Emuakpor and Sam Epelle. Both of these gentlemen were articulate and highly professional media practitioners, and I sought their assistance in obtaining background information as I embarked upon my early efforts at reporting Nigerian affairs for West Africa magazine.

My meeting with the Permanent Secretary actually came about as I was trying to understand and interpret the threat of Civil War which had become the major element in global evaluation of Nigerian political affairs at the time. The general attitude of the Western press then suggested that the nation was about to descend into an orgy of ethnic violence and religious conflict. As a young and somewhat idealistic advocate of Pan African values, I was profoundly opposed to the destruction of Nigerian unity because I believed in Nigeria’s role as the giant of black nationalist aspirations. When I was asked to contribute to the anti-secessionist advocacy of the federal government, I accepted enthusiastically and when I was posted to head the Enugu office of the Information Ministry as the civil war commenced, I saw no reason to reject the appointment.

It was with encouragement from Pr ofessor Essien Essien-Udom and my close and dear friend Ukpabi Asika from the University of Ibadan that I went to meet Alhaji Joda through the intervention of Alhaji M.D. Yusuf, the then head of the E Department, the intelligence arm of the Nigerian Police Force. Unknown to me at that time, Alhaji Yusuf and some of the officials of the Nigerian civil service had read some commentaries that I had written in Paris in the years before I came to Africa and were impressed by my commitment to African unity and progress. However, Alhaji Joda’s first question to me was whether I felt that I would be able to be objective and neutral in reporting from Enugu. This surprised me because I had not expected the nation’s Chief Information Officer to expect me to be objective in reporting a conflict that I felt was initiated by the Federalists. He then elaborated on the issue by telling me that as far as he was concerned, the message we had to promote was one of a return to harmony among all the peoples of Nigeria rather than to place blame for the conflict on anyone. He felt that the task would be an enormous one for even the most experienced Nigerian and so I should not assume that my task was going to be easy. Then in his usually humorous manner, he told me to make the best of what he was sure would be an uncomfortable ride. He then suggested that I meet and speak with some military officers in order to comprehend the reality of Nigerian nationalism at that period. That was how I eventually met Col. Martin Adamu who explained to me that civil war was inevitable although not desirable.

Over the next two and a half years as I worked under the guidance of the East Central State Government and the Federal Authorities, I had several opportunities to observe and interact with Alhaji Joda and to seek his advice. I was especially moved when after I had spent just about three months in Enugu, he told me that my efforts were highly appreciated by the Ministry and he was sending an officer from the headquarters to assist me. By then, I had published a few reports abroad and established a newsletter called The Enlightener for distribution in the war zone. What I remember most effectively from that period are the annual information conferences that were held in different parts of the country to formulate and consolidate the national policy on communication and propaganda. Alhaji Ahmed Joda’s commitment to harmony in diversity was deep-rooted and he expressed it in consistent terms throughout the wartime period when I collaborated with the Ministry. He was a very modest individual even though he was often described as one of the so-called “Super PermSec’s” of the Gowon Administration. He never let power or position go to his head and he remained committed to inter-ethnic cooperation to the end of his days.

 

Lindsay Barrett is a veteran journalist