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How I Became SSA to Governor Obiano

By Ify Aronu-Okafor

“Ify, you know we don’t have money to give loans to staff members”.

“Our main focus is to keep the station running”.

It was an outright NO.

I was asking for a car loan at the office but my request met a brick wall.

I felt really sad. I didn’t bargain for that.

Why then did I reach for the stars back in the University?

I couldn’t even get basic perks on my job.

My name is Ifeyinwa Aronu,  a first class honors graduate of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

My academic record in the year 2013 was the first undisputed first class honors from the department and as at this morning when I penned down this story, it’s been over 8 years post graduation and I am still the only female first class graduates of Unizk Mass Communication, department.

Did that historic feat come easy? Far from it.

I recall that during the interactive session at our year 1 orientation programme in 2010, a classmate had asked if it was possible to make a first class in Mass Communication and the response from one of our lecturers was quite disturbing.

“You know, given the practical nature of this course, first class is no mean feat. Realistically, you can aim for a high 2.1”.

I heard that!

But for some reason, i wasn’t worried nor did i get complacent about my grades. I was there to make nothing short of a first class and not even that demoralizing response could stop me.

Before I came to the University, I told anyone who cared to listen that I would surely graduate with a first class. I told my dad, my mum, my friend who later became by husband…. and I earned first class honors eventually.

For some reason though,  I missed former governor Peter Obi’s 1 Million Naira excellence award to first class graduates. My result probably came out too late and they already disbursed funds. I really needed the money to process further studies abroad so I wrote applications upon application but there was no response. I shelved that

We were mobilized for youth service after the prolonged ASUU strike in 2013/2014 worsened by the Ebola outbreak.

As fate would have it, I was retained after youth service in Ibadan at the most listened to radio station in the South West of Nigeria, Splash FM.

In the course of my stay in Ibadan, I secured MSc admission at the University of Ibadan but that wasn’t to be. I soon returned to Anambra on account of marriage and some months later resumed work at Anambra Broadcasting Service as a Presenter.  I gained a second MSc. admission at Unizik and then resumed studies.

The salary that I was paid at the state government owned broadcast Media house, ABS in 2017 wasn’t satisfactory but that was what the salary scale provided. It’s either you take what’s on the table or leave it.

There was no other station in Awka where I could at least enjoy wide listenership at the time so I stuck with the ABS.

Now, you understand why I felt so sad getting an outright ‘No’ to my loan request.

But there was nothing I could do, so I kept working.

Shortly afterwards, I was lounging at home with my husband and got a call.

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“Hello, Ify Aronu. We need you to come to Lagos for an interview at Plus TV Africa”, the caller said.

I was surprised. Did I apply for a job without knowing?

In the course of the conversation, I figured that the recruiters found me out perhaps on social media where I had been posting about my work.

Although I wasn’t earning much, I made my work at Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS) seem like a million dollar job.

As much I could, I wore good clothes and made sure to share pictures and videos on a regular. More importantly, I did all I could to maintain positive vibes and not allow office vandetta to dampen my passion. That effort was beginning to pay off already.

So, I went for the interview and secured the job outrightly at Plus TV Africa.

I soon moved to Lagos and resumed work. By making that move, I also left my MSc studies at Unizik.

Did I stop posting on social media about my work?

No way! Even in Lagos, I knew that I hadn’t arrived. I don’t arrive.

I kept on sharing content on social media about my work experiences in Lagos. I was settling in nicely and soon made a third MSc application to the University of Lagos.

As usual, I got the admission and began to get ready to resume studies at UNILAG.

Then I got another phone call.

It was the Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. CDon Adinuba.

“The governor wants you back in the State to work with him”, he told me.

I put a call through to the Commissioner of Basic Education, Professor Kate Omenugha and discussed with her. She encouraged the idea.

Then the negotiations began, between I and the information commissioner.

I wasn’t going to come home for the position of a Special Assistant to the governor.

When the terms were arrived at and I was okay with it, I began the process of exiting Plus TV Africa to return to Anambra.

Some months prior, I left the state after resigning from my position as an ABS presenter, came back in February 2019 as an SSA to the governor.

I soon became my commissioner, CDon Adinuba’s favorite SSA because he liked my work ethics and would usually commend me. By this time I was also putting in work hours at the ABS asides working at the ministry.

“Do you know that it was Mark Okoye that mentioned your case to the governor during exco”, CDon said .

We were having our usual lengthy conversations at his office months after I resumed work.

He saw the surprised look on my face.

“You don’t know”, he asked.

I could only say, “how come!!”

MARK OKOYE?

The only time i ever had a physical interaction with  Commissioner Mark Okoye  was at ABS while I was a presenter on the Saturday morning show.

I didn’t even get to interview him.

He came for a sports show. I guess he was supposed to feature briefly on my show but that didn’t happen.

Before he left, I went to greet him and we didn’t even say much. He was with other people.

Prior to that time, I didn’t even know we had such a youthful Commissioner.

I was very impressed to learn that so I looked him up on Facebook and sent a friend request.

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I could see his posts after a while and that meant that he accepted my friend request.

When I left for Lagos, there was a day I spotted someone around Victoria Island and the person looked so like him.

I called to know if he was the one but he wasn’t even in Lagos. He knew that i was in Lagos but we never discussed the issues surrounding that movement.

To hear that he presented my case at exco was just……

And he didn’t need to know me to do that…

All he needed to know was that i am a talented young lady who desired to contribute to the growth of the state media apparatus but lacked the enabling environment to do that optimally.

CDon told me that the discussion at exco that day was that people where resigning at ABS even when the governor was improving the station. So, they needed to know what to do to keep the best hands onboard.

The conversation was almost concluded when Mark hit the bell and told them that a certain lady Ify Aronu left for a Lagos based station because she felt under appreciated at ABS. He was specific.

The governor then directed the Commissioner for information and public enlightenment, CDON Adinuba to bring me back.

“Her mother is here o”, CDon Said in reference to the Commissioner for Education, Prof Kate Omenugha.

The governor therefore gave the charge to both commissioners and that’s how I returned to Anambra to work with governor Obiano as an SSA on Broadcasting.

I remain eternally grateful to Governor Obiano for giving that life changing directive.

Coming back home enabled me continue with my MSc at Unizik and i completed it last year.

It was only during an interaction with Mark Okoye during the governorship campaigns that we got to discuss exactly what happened at exco that fateful day that he spoke up for my.

He was never going to tell me about it, he didn’t even feel that I should know.

He just did what needed to be done and forgot about it until I brought it up, that’s selflessness and humility. He didn’t want or need to be thanked.

I didn’t have to speak to him everyday for him to know my track record.

I am quite sure he was seeing my social media updates. He was following me up even when I didn’t know. And I kept doing my passion not knowing that my destiny helper was taking note.

Mark may not call you daily to ask what you are up to. We can’t begin to imagine how busy he gets.

But from my experience, I found that no matter how intense it gets, Mark is watching,  Mark is on our Marks.

Mark will someday specifically mention YOU, YOU, YOU and US at the world forum. All we need to do is to send him there.

Wherever we need Mark to mention our names for us to get to the height of our dreams, let’s send MARK there.

HE WILL mention your name there like he mentioned mine in Anambra.

I am Ify Aronu-Okafor and that is my story.

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