Ben Edokpayi perspective from both sides

It was only a matter of time before I retraced my steps to links that helped strengthen my nascent journalism career as sports editor for Newswatch
Magazine.

Interestingly, that odyssey which includes the 24 years spent in the United States of America, (between 1989 and 2013) has now brought me full circle to Saturday Vanguard where my weekly column, which will focus on topical issues covering the spectrum from politics, sports, the economy and international issues, debuts today. Why Vanguard?

Well, even though my career did not start here I have always had a sentimental link with the paper because through my sports beat at Newswatch I was able to strike up professional associations with a group of writers at the paper such as Tony Ubani, Onochie Anibeze, Chris Okojie, Phillip Ahante and Ikeddy Isiguzo, who all helped to redefine sports journalism in Nigeria in the late 80’s.

This special relationship with Vanguard newspapers was one of the reasons I chose to travel to Chile with Chris Okojie (then former sports editor) for coverage of the 1987 Junior World Cup. And what a great time we had (in a positive way) beginning with our one day transit through Rio De Janeiro, that afforded us an opportunity to witness a carnival as well as watch a game with rivals Santos and Vasco Da Gama at the famous Maracana Stadium.

I do not know what obtains now, but in those days the camaraderie between journalists extended beyond coverage of events to actually playing pick-up soccer games most weekends at the University of Lagos Sports Stadium and other venues in Lagos.

Because of the disillusionment I felt with the profession (which I am sure is worse now) I checked out for the USA in 1989.

And so now I am a Nigerian-American with a unique perspective on issues affecting both countries. My experiences, on both sides of the Atlantic, will provide a unique fountain for the ideas that will drive my contributions to The Vanguard, facilitated by the Editor of the paper, who recently approached me to be a contributor for this esteemed newspaper.

It is certainly a unique privilege to call two great countries home. And I will not trade my American experience for anything because it has helped tremendously to define who I am as well as given me the opportunity for my two sons who are very special to me.

While in America, I was fortunate to continue my career in journalism at a very high level as well meeting high profile personalities, working for a number of publications including the African Times, The African Commentary, The Daily Republic (from where I covered the 1994 World Cup), The Vacaville Reporter (where I was the weekend editor and on the editorial board) and the Dixon Tribune where I was the editor. I also freelanced for the BBC and the Africa Service of the Voice America; covering the inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) for VOA.

Being an African editor with an accent at Dixon Tribune, a town with a population that is predominantly white, was certainly a unique challenge that I embraced with gusto.

At the very first reporting assignment in this small town with a population of approximately 20,000, I remember encountering my first shock at the local Scottish Games.

It came from the publicist for the games whose first question for me was: how long I planned to stay as editor of the newspaper when I first introduced myself to him. As he tried to recount the number of editors who had passed through the paper in the last fifteen years I began wondering what I had gotten myself into.

But that thought was fleeting, and I never really let the revolving chair that the editor-in-chief’s position had become, before my arrival, deter or disturb me.

Good thing I did because the challenges came fast and thick. One of them was an incident that was as shocking as interesting. For some it seemed hilarious, but to me it was deeply troubling having never experienced something like that in almost two decades in journalism.

It happened with the issue of The Tribune that reported on the winners and losers for elections to the City Council. The caption I used for one of the winners in the election was deliberately switched to something more malicious and damaging. We never really did finger the culprit but steps were taken internally to ensure it never happened again.

In those early days it was almost a daily occurrence for me to come across readers and subscribers who for one reason or the other were dissatisfied with the quality of the newspaper.

On one occasion, during an interview with a prominent businessman in town, the table was literally turned on me. I spent almost an hour defending the credibility of the paper instead of interviewing the man, who said he had stopped reading the newspaper because of poor quality and content.

By the time I left four years later the man was one of my best news sources in town and had become a fan of the paper that he felt inspired enough to contribute a regular column on soccer for the newspaper.

After journalism I transitioned to public service, working as a Public Information Officer (PIO) for two state agencies in California; the State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) and the Department of Transportation (CALTRANS). My accomplishments at Caltrans included managing the publicity campaign for President Obama’s very first American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” (ARRA) stimulus project implemented in California—the Interstate 80 rehabilitation project in Solano County. And so after 25 years in America here I am back in Nigeria during a turbulent period which I believe is the perfect condition for a new and great beginning for the country if next month’s election is handled well. Which is what my very first contribution for Saturday Vanguard focuses on; the hope for successful elections in Nigeria next month.