BY SAM ONWUEMEDO#

(1) It is not a Crime if at times, you begin to Count your blessings or naming them one by one to see what God has done for you. You Count blessings, name them one by one and it will truly surprise you, what God has done. At times, you can beat your chest to say, To God be the glory.

(2) In this outing, instead of devoting my time responding to those I have already defeated and “taken prisoners”, I should make my solemn Claims. And I will conclude with the guy whose only Claim in life and only pride in life is his coming from Mbaise as if he is more Mbaise than me.

(3) The truth is that the work of CPS is like a football match, every Spectator or fan is a Professional outside the field but take him into the field, he begins to stagger, thinking about which leg to put forward first.

(4) Let me also make this Confession before navigating. That, whatever I have achieved in this media job, and whatever position I have held in the Course of it, is by the Grace of God, because as a Child of God, I know that it is not by might nor by Power but only by his Spirit. So if I am making any Claim, I am doing so because of what God has done in my life. Hence, I enjoy a lot of goodwill in the Profession. I have never blackmailed or extorted money from anybody in this job. What I enjoy is goodwill. Hence every governor that had come, had sought to work with me. God’s grace.

(5) I was the link between Correspondents and Col. Tanko Zubairu when he was Military Administrator in the State. I was appointed a member of Chief Achike Udenwa’s Media Consultative Committee through a letter dated July 19, 1999. Chief Ikedi Ohakim had also met with me for good but I pleaded with him to excuse me and he showed me love. The rest is history. I had given account of how I served two Speakers as CPS. And ALGON and so many others. Then, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. And I can beat my Chest to say I have done well as his CPS.

(6) Since I came as CPS nobody or group has accused Rochas Okorocha of non-Performance. In other words, we have been able to let the world know that the man has achieved a lot. His attackers only do so, on his Policies and Programs. And we have always Claimed that he has achieved more than all those before him put together. And nobody has said it is not true.

(7) I opened the gate of Government House for all Categories of Journalists in the State, including those known in Owerri as “Conjas”. There is no restriction of any kind on the movements of Journalists, in and out of the Government House.

(8) I have brought the governor and the NUJ in the State together. It was not like that before I came. NUJ officials now take front row in whatever the government is doing.

(9) I also brought about the enviable relationship now existing between the Correspondents and Publishers of Owerri based newspapers and the governor. Hence, since I came, no year had passed without the governor meeting with them in Government House, at least 4 times.

(10) I am the first CPS in the State to take the governor to the NUJ Press Centre and about three times, to meet with more than three hundred Journalists in the State, Confronting him with all manner of questions.

(11) I have also connected the governor to the media grid at the National level so much that a good number of Senior editors and Columnists have been to the State more than three times to see our projects. And we alternate the invitees. We shall Continue to do that.

(12) I have ensured conducive atmosphere for all the Journalists in the State to practice. Hence, no Journalist has been victimized in the State for attacking the government or the governor.

(13) I have never Collected money from the governor to kill a story. We allow Journalists to do their job and we state our own side of the story when necessary since we have done well. And I have never sponsored any negative story against the governor or the government only to go back to collect money to do a rejoinder.

(14) I have never been involved in any financial scandal since I became CPS and after 4 years in that position. Hence, those who Scratch me can only abuse me but cannot accuse of any financial Scandal.

(15) I have also become a torn in the flesh of the opponents of the governor and few of their cohorts in the media because I have never allowed them to go home in peace to celebrate over their blackmail against the governor. I must deflate their ego or “shoot” them down. And that is their frustration and their anger against me. Nothing more. I have never allowed them record any success against Owelle in their blackmails and propaganda.

(16) I have not also told lies since I became CPS. I must State the truth of the matter. Hence, I have never had any reason to withdraw or retract any Statement from me and nobody has ever faulted any of my Claims since I became CPS. I do not tell lies. Eg. when I said nobody died during the demolition of Ekeukwu Market I was right because I didn’t say nobody died on that day. And the boy who died at Mbaise Road, far from Douglas Road where the demolition took place could not have been linked to Ekeukwu demolition.

(17) Governor Okorocha is one of the governors that enjoy high dose of media Coverage and has become a darling to news hunters and he has never suffered any embarrassment from me. I have always shot accurately.

(18) I have also not attacked anybody since I became CPS. I have only ensured lowering the horn or blackmail antenna of opponents or “quench” their break lights. I do not allow them fly. That’s their palaver or headache with me. That’s all. I do not owe any of them.

(19) I have also taken the governor to FRCN Abuja on two occasions for the popular Radio-Link programe to enable him entertain questions from all parts of the world which no past governor from the State had done.

(20) I have also managed Rochas’ “Controversies” without him loosing any weight. Actions or Policies those before him had avoided for fear of being swallowed, he had taken them and still standing tall with regard to popular acceptance because I have never allowed opponents to score any cheap goal or any cheap Political Point on any of the issues.

(21) I am also lucky because the achievements of Rochas Okorocha are many and on ground, so much that when the opponents tend to be funny, I would brandish Rochas’ achievements and Challenge them to show their own, they would retreat.

(22) The seeming evidence that I have done well as CPS is that some of the opponents and those they use in the media are the ones complaining about me out of frustration. If people like Amby Uneze and others like him who have their godfathers in PDP, Complain about me they are only licking their wounds, and expressing their frustration. Any day they praise me, I will be conscious of my situation. So when they attack me or when they lament, I begin to count my blessings one by one. They have never scored any goal against Rochas in the media. I won’t allow them.

(23) I have no problem with these elements. I am not owing them. I have not dragged anything with them. My problem with them is Rochas. For instance, the pronouncement of the governor on Amby Uneze and Chidi Nkwopara was not against ThisDay and Vanguard. He went and gave wrong impression, different from what the governor said. And it was my duty to put the record straight, which I did. He took on me. Why? Because I didn’t allow him fly with that falsehood.

(24) On the crack in the Owerri based Newspaper Publishers Association, I did it. We woke up one morning and a group of the Publishers dabbled into issues they should not have gone into for any reason and when I heard what prompted that ill-advised action, I took the bull by the horn. I also shot them down and they couldn’t fly again. Today, they accuse me of being the architect of their woes as if I told them to assume the functions of the House of Assembly. In their Publications, they took on the governor and Chief of Staff and not me. It was when I caged them that they began to see me as their problem. So, how did I cause their problem with the governor? Did I eat their money or took their wives or their girl friends or their properties. So, how? One said I do not pack drinks in the fridge for Journalists to be coming and drinking. I won’t do that because I am CPS.

(25) Anybody who had served as CPS to any governor in the State, who has done better than me as CPS should indicate and tell his audience how.

(26) Finally, I have read the last story by Amby Uneze. The guy is on suicide mission and I will help him do that. I had expected him to come out in grand style to devastate all the issues I raised, but he came up again boxing himself to a very tight corner. And I am going to ask Amby Uneze if he is truly a graduate of IMSU and Challenge him to show proof? And Challenge him too to produce his NYSC discharge Certificate. I am also going to make sure that he produces evidence to show that he is a staff of ThisDay as I write.

(27) On his usual noise about Mbaise, I have overgrown such petty sentiment. My Eze Persuaded me to take Chieftaincy title in 2004. I told him that because of my faith, I would come straight to the field and have the title, he obliged me. And gave he me Okangaoziri I of Mbutu Nwenkwo. But I do not answer Chief or Honourable because to me, they mean nothing. I am more popular in Mbutu Aboh Mbaise than the man he is writing to make governor not minding his billions and wealth.

Hence, on the election day in 2015 he had four hilux buses loaded with soldiers, six loaded with Mobile Police men and about one thousand Aguleri fighters in our ward just because of a man who has no police orderly. And he made sure I was taken away for him to have his way.

(28) Amby Uneze got involved in Ezurueze Mbaise in 2017 according to him when there are two factions, but in 1997 I was a member of the Publicity Committee of Ezuruezu Mbaise with Tim Azubuike and John Agbakwuru and Chief I.D. Nwoga, the President-General then personally signed the letter to that effect, dated July 10, 1997. I do not subscribe to all these unnecessary noise about Mbaise by petty folks like Amby Uneze. I have benefitted from Chief Achike Udenwa, who made my wife T/C member, Ikedi Ohakim, Mayor Eze, Greg Mbadiwe, Jerry Alagbaoso, Jones Uzoka, Late Marshal Harry, Ray Chinda, Sergeant Awuse, Peter Odili, Eric Aso, Kelechi Nwagwu and above all, Rochas Okorocha. They are not Mbaise people. Only Godfrey Dikeocha, Dr. Alex Obi and few others not in Politics are Mbaise people who have been good to me. As I write, my own Mbaise is Rochas Okorocha.

(29) And it is only in Imo, where someone who has never held any media related position in his life would be teaching someone who has held avalanche of media related positions including being CPS to two Speakers how to do the job. In other words, he is giving what he does not have. To God be the glory.

Sam Onwuemeodo
CPS to Governor Rochas Okorocha

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