Nigerian journalists should be properly remunerated – Oba-elect

A former deputy national president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Prince Oluwarotimi Obamuwagun, was recently elected the Olumoru of Imoru Kingdom in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. He will be crowned king in December. In this interview with Daily Trust on Sunday, the 15th Olumoru-elect told his story and revealed how […]

A former deputy national president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Prince Oluwarotimi Obamuwagun, was recently elected the Olumoru of Imoru Kingdom in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. He will be crowned king in December. In this interview with Daily Trust on Sunday, the 15th Olumoru-elect told his story and revealed how journalists could be used for nation building. He, however, regretted that poverty has done much damage to journalism practice in Nigeria.

How would you describe your early days in journalism?

I wanted to work at the National Concord after I left the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ). I was hoping that Mr. Dele Giwa would assist me. I met him severally. I wanted him to assist me but he couldn’t do it before he died.

My uncle was made a board member in the Ondo State Radio-vision Corporation (OSRC), so he assisted me to get a job during the days of Governor Bamidele Otiko. I started working in the OSRC in 1985. I enjoyed the job I did in journalism.

My uncle wanted me to go for law, but I said I was not interested. I loved journalism since I was in secondary school. I did the NIJ examination and I passed, but I couldn’t get the money to pay. Because he wanted me to do Law, he wanted to discourage me, but I outsmarted him. I wrote a letter to Dr. Tai Solarin at Ikenne. We didn’t have these kinds of phones then; you had to go to the post office. About a week after, he replied me through my friend in the bank, who hails from Imoru. He is in Lagos now.

When I eventually met Tai Solarin, he asked why I wanted to do journalism and I said it was my interest.’ He asked: ‘Don’t you have somebody who could help you?’ I told him I had somebody, but he wanted me to do law. He said there was no remarkable difference between journalism and law as the two professions work for humanity.

I gave him the paper containing the school fees sent to me by the NIJ. He said, “I cannot afford all this, but I will give you what I have. If you are able to raise the remaining part, go and pay and start your school. If you are not able to pay, please don’t spend my money; give it back to me.’’ I said, ‘Yes sir’ and he issued a cheque. I had to go back to Ikenne to cash it. It was unlike these days that you can cash a cheque anywhere in the country.

On Monday, my friend who was working in the bank also gave me money. I came back to Ikenne, went to the bank and cashed the cheque. I can’t remember the exact amount except I look into my records.

I had one lady. I had finished secondary school and worked for one or two years in Ondo State here. The lady and I met at my place of work and had interest in ourselves. When I was in Lagos, she was coming at irregular intervals to check on me. As I was coming from Ikenne, I met her at home and explained to her. She said, “Let me go back and look for the remaining part.’ It was around 11am. She came back to Ondo State, and the following morning, as early as 9am, she was in Lagos with the balance and I put them together.

By that time, the school had almost concluded the first semester. I got there and met about seven Ondo State indigenes in my class. I was allowed to start because I had been relating with the registrar of the school and he assured me that by the time I came I would still be admitted. All the people, most of them big men today, (though they have retired from journalism) started assisting me to write notes. We were sleeping in a house for a whole week. They also taught me what they had learnt.

About a month later, we had our first semester examination and I failed one course – Typewriting. I passed minimally all the others. That is my story about journalism.

I retired from the OSRC on March 1, 2016.  I was in Abuja for six years as a deputy president of the NUJ.

When I lost my wife and an election the same day, after the burial, I returned to the OSRC to start my work. After one or two weeks there, I decided that I could not cope. The way and manner they practised journalism put me off.

As deputy national president of the NUJ, I had gone round all the media houses in the country. I was also at the top of a team that was disciplining people who didn’t practise journalism well. When I got to the OSRC, I saw worse things and tried to correct them. When I saw that I couldn’t effect the change I wanted, I resigned in anger.

At the level of the NUJ, I think I also did well, from what they call chapel level. I started from the Lagos State Correspondents Association when Col Raji Rasaki was governor. I became the secretary to the chapel. I was also a member of the League of Airport Correspondents at the Murtala Mohammed Airport. I had started job at the OSRC. But suddenly, I was transferred to Lagos as the Lagos City editor. That was when I started to relate with journalists in Lagos and got myself involved in the politics of the NUJ. I started to take up positions. I was transferred back to Ondo State. When I got here, I contested again and became the secretary of the OSRC Chapel of the NUJ. Later, I became the chairman. I also contested as chairman of Ondo State Council and won first and second terms. Again, I contested as vice president of the South-West zone and won. I spent three years there. Then I contested as deputy national president and I won.

At that time, as a vice presidential candidate you had to campaign round the whole country. If you wanted to be vice president from the South-West, everybody had to vote for you. But we changed that clause in our constitution when we were reviewing it. Let whoever wants to be vice president get his votes from his catchment area.

How do you think journalism should be practised in Nigeria?

The bottom line is that journalists are not paid well in Nigeria; they are poor. I have been to other countries and saw how journalism is practised.  I always say that you cannot be bigger than your environment. It is what happens here that you would live with. So many journalists who moved out of Nigeria to Britain where they are well remunerated excel more than the people they met there.

Poverty has done much damage to the practice of journalism in Nigeria. Journalists work 24 hours. As a broadcast journalist I know how I practised on a daily basis. The love I have for the profession pushed me through for 31 years, not the money I got.  I used to tell people that I didn’t look for money in journalism, I just love the profession. I love the name that I made more than the money. I didn’t ask for money.

Nigerians should know that journalists also have issues to attend to. You have children to train, your house, wife and health to maintain. You have so many things to attend to. Nigerian authorities should ensure that journalists are able to get all these minimal things. I am not saying that they should be made super rich, but they should not make journalists the dregs of the society. When you do that, the society is killing itself without knowing it.

Journalism is a profession that would assist the government build the nation if it is well managed. Journalists should be well taken care of like politicians and military people. This is because the pen is truly mightier than the sword. They should be given what is commensurate with the job they are doing. If we do not do that, I am afraid it is a time bomb waiting to explode.

We congratulate you at your election as the Olumoru of Imoru. How do you feel as a traditional ruler?

I feel happy and great about it. I thank God for making it happen. By the grace of God, I will be addressed as Oba Oluwarotimi Obamuwagun, Uwade 1. I thank the people of Imoru. I also thank the government, which ensured transparency in the process.

How did the election go?

It was peaceful.

As a journalist and former deputy national president of the NUJ, how would your experience impact on your new office?

Journalism practice is administration. Every day, you administer people’s lives, news-wise; and you gain new experiences daily. You rub minds with people on a daily basis; you are with the people every second of the day. You get experience by doing things with people, by discussing with people, asking questions from people, and from the answers they give you, you get experience. I did that for 31 years. That is practising journalism per se.

I was also involved in the politics of the NUJ for many years. While there, I was involved in administering the states.

In the course of doing all these things, I administered people’s lives one way or another. That will rub effectively in the way and manner I manage my new position.

What are those things your reign would redress?

We need help in virtually everything. If it means begging people, we will beg them to ensure that we get those things we should get lawfully.