By Abdulrazaq Magaj
My first major assignment for Newswatch,
once Africa ’s most cited and best known news
magazine, was to do preliminary work ahead of the 50th anniversary of the
golden rule of late Sultan Abubakar Siddiq III. It was one assignment that took
me to many parts of the north to talk to people who had one opinion or the
other to express about Sultan Abubakar Siddiq and the Sokoto caliphate.
In line with Newswatch house-styles,
the Editor-In-Chief did a short take on me in the Editorial Suite, a half page reserved for the EIC or, in his
absence, one of his lieutenants to whet the appetite of readers. After
commending me for what he said was a good outing, Ray Ekpu took one long look
at me and asked whether I was surprised at my being signed on by Newswatch.
‘No, sir!’ I blurted.
‘Our Ray of hope’, as many called
Ray Ekpu, Newswatch’s EIC, must have been pleasantly surprised by my
candour
Prior to Newswatch, I had actually
done some rudimentary writings for some local and international publications in
my undergraduate days in Zaria
My midday
encounter with Ray was a replay of a similar one on the day I encountered the
three musketeers who interviewed me for the job 30 years ago. At issue was how
I was eased out of my former job, an account which provoked a general laugh.
Was it the laughable reasons given for my being eased out? Or was it the way it
was narrated? What struck me most was the conviviality that surrounded the
interview session. It was great to feel these Newswatch greats were not
spooks, after all!
I had actually applied for an
advertised position of deputy editor of Quality magazine, a soft-sell in the
Newswatch
group. But I guess the trio was impressed by my humble credentials. I had a
job, I was told, not with Quality but the highflying Newswatch.
Though, I was to get eased out of Newswatch, I guess the eight years I
spent remain the most exciting in my career in journalism. I have seen a
handful of newsrooms but Newswatch’s was unique!
