Chika Nwoba: The antics of a mercenary writer 

Nwoba Chika Nwoba, the  Ebonyi state born  Publicist and political jobber, from Ekpelu in Ikwo LGA  is a man who loves to live  in hiding.  One wonders why a man of letters should prefer such  secretive and restricted life style. However, a critical survey into his style of operations reveals that his secretive life-style is a self-imposed burden, borne out of his contradictory social existence.

Philosophers formulated the idea that “the pen is mightier than the sword” which was translated to mean that ideas are more fatal than guns and canons. Canons compel the body but ideas bewitch the soul.

Right wing thinkers and fascists who were worried about the monopolistic power of the pen-pushers propounded the counter  doctrine that “the best way to stop an idea was to cut off the head that is carrying it”.

In  order to achieve a balance or moderation in society, modern journalism practice curtails the monopolistic power of the writer by working out a Code of Ethics which holds him responsible and accountable to the society. The power of the pen becomes moderated by ensuring that the writer does not operate as he likes. Truth  and facts are held in high esteem as a critical item in ethical journalism.

Though Chika Nwoba parades himself as a writer, his brand of journalism makes him an endangered specie. He is more of a hack-writer, and a  job-man  of sorts. As a social media influencer, his mainstay lies in two areas: his Facebook page and the money he extorts from those who pay him to dent the reputation of  their political rivals. This could be the reason why he cannot live inside Ebonyi-his main theatre of operation. His hit -and-run tactics makes Abakaliki unsafe for him. So, he must operate from Awka, the capital of Anambra state.

This could be the main reason Chika Nwoba is not a professional journalist and of course he does not write for any known media organ. He was never trained as a journalist. He is a generalist, not a Journalist. He writes about everything he sees and everything  he hears about, to boost his false image as an information monopolist. He sees himself more as a purveyor and custodian of secretive and sensational information. In this his self-styled journalism which he promotes,  truth and ethics become the first casualties. All he does is to trade  information and to manipulate it for his self-aggrandizement. He needs to invent spectacular scenes to make his Facebook page more attractive to his uninformed followers, so as to make more money for himself. He specializes in blackmail and bullying of his victims and makes money by so doing.

And that is the way he lives. This mercenary writer of fortune has destroyed  the ethics of writing in its traditional sense. He has commercialized writing to the level of greed and selfishness. No wonder he has been running in circles, without any iota of conscience, from pillar to post, like a rolling stone which gathers no moss. Under the last civilian government in the state, he had a running battle with the authorities. The opposition political leaders had him on their payroll because he was seen then as a sincere activist and  social critic.

In his latest controversial theatrics, contained in his  interview by KAA/ GBAM DANBABA Podcasts, circulated on  Facebook, Nwoba spewed falsehood and propaganda against the governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency, Ogbonna Nwifuru.

The crux of his lame argument was that Governor Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State was not qualified to be governor of the state. That Nwifuru cannot even qualify as a Senator; that only the House of Representatives would have fitted Nwifuru. He maintained that the Governorship position was bigger than Nwifuru. This is a sentimental argument. Who gave him the power to determine who and who was qualified to hold positions in public office in Nigeria. Whatever opinion he has advanced in his assessment of Gov. Nwifuru is basically semantic and worthless.

Nwoba went further to assert that the Ebonyi state House of Assembly, as presently constituted was a House of puppets. What then does he say about the other 35 State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria? Could he have made a difference there if he was elected as a member of the Legislature in the state?

In the same interview, Nwoba praised the former governor and current Minister of Works, Chief David Umahi. He eulogized Umahi and claimed that Umahi was one of the richest political leaders in the South-East. He further claimed that the amount of money and resources in Umahi’s pocket were more than the resources available to all the  governors of the  Sourh-East put together. Why this sudden love for Umahi at this point in time? A Minister in Nigeria is never a Sole Administrator, so the powers ascribed to Umahi by Nwoba are more imaginary than real.

Then he finally stated

that there is a scanty population in Ebonyi state because of the migration of Ebonyi indigenous in large numbers to neighbouring states. He blamed the Ebonyi state government for not doing something to stem the tide of migration of its citizens to other places. This allegation is false and self-serving. Moreover, he does not have a handle in the factors responsible for the migration of citizens in any part of the South-East and the factors behind them.

Governor Nwifuru, under the “People’s Charter of Needs” policy document has empowered Ebonyi youths through employment of thousands of new civil servants, teachers, doctors and other health professionals in the state. There is already a quantum leap in employment and manpower development in the state through several government-driven socio-economic policies, including scholarships, involving substantial population of Ebonyi people by the Nwifuru administration. These developments never happened under the last administration which  Nwoba now eulogizes.

The above assertions by Nwoba should not be analysed or dismissed on face value without reference to what the same writer said not too long ago. There is greater need to interrogate Nwoba in order to understand where he is coming from and the new interests he is currently serving.

Who is Nwoba Chika Nwoba? This writer has already tried to identify Nwoba by exposing his brand of self-serving journalism. He is an empty vessel and an irritant who draws unmerited attention to himself. As a young man from Ikwo, he was a boy to Mr. Clement Nweke, his kinsman. When  Engr. David Umahi became governor in 2015, Nweke was appointed the Principal Secretary to the Governor. But Nweke could not get something for Nwoba, who later identified with the opposition parties in the state to oppose Umahi’s style of administration.

When Umahi crossed over to APC in November 2020, many of the the young men were mobilised to join forces with PDP. Nwoba was subsequently  made the Publicity Secretary of one of the opposition  parties in the state. In 2021, he was arrested by the police on charges of publishing false information against the former governor, Umahi on Facebook. Precisely on 26th January,  2022, he was arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Abakaliki, after being detained for three weeks by the police. His arraignment at an earlier date was aborted as he slumped inside the court and was rushed to a medical facility on the orders of the court. Nwoba was said to have been mercilessly manhandled by Ebubeagu, the security outfit set up by the Umahi administration.

He was facing a 15-count charge, punishable under section 4 of the Ebonyi state Cybercrimes (Prohibition) Law, No.012 of 2021. Nwoba pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. But the Court, presided over by  Blessing Chukwu ruled that it had no jurisdiction to entertain the case. The court ordered  that Nwoba be returned to Police custody so that he could go for COVID-19 test before being returned to the correctional centre. The case was adjourned to 4th February, 2022. It took the intervention of men of goodwill who rallied round Nwoba to get him released from Umahi’s dungeon. But information at our desk now indicate that Nwoba has gone back to Umahi courtesy of his master, Nweke. They seem to have found a new enemy for Nwoba to descend upon. Those who hold this view are of the opinion that the relationship between Umahi and Gov. Nwifuru has since turned into a paradox as Umahi is extremely difficult to please.

But Nwoba seemed to have forgotten that at the  inception of Gov. Nwifuru’s administration, he visited Gov. Nwifuru in Government House Abakaliki  and praised him for his good works in the governance of the state. Nwoba went along that visit with his wife and young child  to see the governor . And the child’s  outing ceremony  happened within the same period and the visit was widely publicized.

Nwoba is yet to tell Ebonyians when he started disagreeing with  Gov. Nwifuru  to the extent of making such a weighty allegation that the Governor was not qualified to govern the state. Secondly, many Ebonyians at that time frowned at  the visit of Nwoba to Gov. Nwifuru because he(Nwoba)was still in the payroll of Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii( Anyichuks), who was the PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 elections. Odii was Nwifuru’s main opponent in the elections.Some analysts are of the view that his current assessment of Nwifuru is mere second thought as his initial visit  to Gov Nwifuru with his family was the first impression which matters much more than his current rhetorics. The decision of Nwoba to disparage the popular and people-oriented policies of the Nwifuru administration in alliance with  his former tormentor, the Works Minister is a betrayal of Ebonyi people by Nwoba. It further shows that he is an enemy of the people.

It has also been alleged that he  may have wanted the Governor to give him an appointment in his government. But while things were still being sorted out, Nwoba dramatized his usual impatience and impudence by it war against some members of the State Executive Council. He accused them of corruption in his ceaseless  and senseless write-ups. The government became  apprehensive of his motives and he  became isolated once again  and went into his usual hibernation like someone  engaged in guerrilla warfare.

In his current double speak, Nwoba has eulogized Umahi for being a powerful Minister. “The money he makes as Minister of Works, the governors of the South-East  together cannot see in eight years. Someone awarding contracts in trillions of Naira doesn’t have business with an economy as scanty as Ebonyi”, Nwoba asserted.

However, some Ebonyians have already tackled Nwoba for being so cheap as to change easily like a chameleon just because of the largess he  currently enjoys from  Umahi, the Works Minister.

Citizen Mathew Nwankwo reacted to Nwoba’s double-speak, thus: “Does it mean that some people are created with a double tongue in one mouth. One lies and the other tells the truth”.

Then Rita Ndukwe further debunks Nwoba’s incoherent blabbing.  “That the Minister is a Federal officer does not make him more powerful than the South-East governors”. Moreover, a Federal Minister is not an independent actor. He is an appointee of the President and remains the President’s boy.

In the light of the afore-mentioned facts, it is clear that Nwoba Chika Nwoba is not an authentic or patriotic contributor to nation-building. He is rather a destroyer of other people’s images. We challenge him to come out of hiding and live freely like other citizens if his conscience can permit him.We urge him to make amends by learning the modern art of writing and subscribe to the rights of all people to access information for good governance and the growth of genuine democracy in the land.