By SHEDDY
OZOENE
Margaret
Hilda Thatcher performed so well by taking on tough tasks in her first tenure
as British Prime Minister. His US counterpart, President Ronald Reagan who
couldn’t stroll to his local church without adequate security, marveled that
Thatcher could make the long-haul trip to the troubled Falkland Islands unannounced.
Even Russian leader, Leonid Brezhnev said Thatcher was "trying to wear the
trousers of Winston Churchill". In any case, her heroics were so profound
that Thatcher’s supporters told voters, during her re-election campaign in
1983, that she was the best MAN for the job.
She
was not a man but she was indeed a woman of iron will—committed, focused and fearless.
There
are no Thatchers here but Nigeria’s Ibim Semenitari qualifies as one woman made
for tough jobs, too. She simply dares where devils fear to tread. Over the
years, the seasoned journalist and mother has proved that she could well hold
her own, not only in the newsroom but in the murky waters of Nigerian politics.
Ibim (born Tamunoibim Toby), is an award winning
investigative journalist, editor and publisher. In her over 20 years in journalism,
her career has taken her to some leading newspapers and magazines within
Nigeria and beyond. An alumnus of the University of Benin where she took a
degree in English, her career has taken her from the Daily Times newspaper,
through Newswatch magazine, Sunray Newspapers and TELL where she launched a
weekly business magazine, The Broad Street Journal, in 2005. From TELL, Ibim
had joined the BBC World Service Trust for a stint as Journalism Trainer/Editor,
before launching her own publication, The Business Eye, an investigative weekly
business newsmagazine.
After a distinguished career in the media, she had
served the Rotimi Amaechi administration as Commissioner for Information and
Communications. Managing the public image of such a swashbuckling governor at a
particularly tempestuous period like Amaechi’s tenure as Rivers state governor
did not come easy, but it proved to be the test that brought out her true
character. In her years of stewardship in her home state, she proved herself as
a performer and as a strong-willed lady who can be relied upon to get the job
done.
And did she get the job done?
The
Rivers state opposition will not forget her in a hurry. She proved capable in
managing the vociferous lot -- word for word and action for action --diffusing
in the media, the several crises that the opposition designed to upset the
Amaechi administration. Her actions contributed substantially in ensuring that
Amaechi concluded his tenure on a particularly high note, against all odds.
The
lady who is married to Henry Semenitari, a former Managing Director, Unity Bank
plc, had served in the communications directorate of the Buhari Presidential
Campaign Organisation during the 2015 presidential campaign. It was all in the
line of duty for the loyal woman whose principal, Amaechi, was at the time also
heading Buhari’s campaign as Director-General.
While
at the directorate, her effectiveness and zeal did not escape the strict scrutiny
Buhari is well known for. The would-be President made mental notes.
If
her tour of duty in Rivers state was tasking, the assignment President
Muhammadu Buhari found her worthy of, was particularly scaring. After
removing Mr. Bassey Dan-Abia as Managing Director of the Niger-Delta
Development Commission (NDDC) on December 20, 2016, he had combed the landscape
for someone to help translate his development vision for the Niger Delta into
reality. Buhari had tapped Ibim for the tough job as the acting managing
director.
To say that the appointment was scary is to
put it mildly considering the much expected of the regional intervention agency.
The NDDC has been deep in rot; allegation had been rife that it had become in
recent times, a cesspool of corruption and unnecessary financial controversies
so much that regional leaders in Niger Delta perceive it not as a tool for
regional development but as an avenue for distribution of political patronages.
At the same time, the harsh realities of underdevelopment were pervasive in the
region which is still reeling from the effects of environmental degradation.
Since her appointment, she has worked so hard to give a
lie to that perception that the NDDC was another Father Christmas, or cash cow
for indolent politicians and leaders of the zone. She had launched efforts to
refocus the agency, its management and staff towards its original vision and
mission, with a wake-up call to brace up for hard work to meet the needs of the
people. Her success in so short a time indicates that the NDDC is indeed on the
path of being repositioned for better service delivery to communities within
the Niger Delta. It is a really hard job, but a duty she has committed to
perform with a promise that her tenure would make meaningful impact on
the region.
Winner of the CNN African Journalist of the Year Awards
and 2nd place, (print journalism) in the CNN African Journalist
Award in 1997 for her reports in the Nigerian print media, she is the first
Nigerian female journalist to win the coveted price. She is also a two-time
winner of the Nigerian Media Merit Award and a three time winner of the Diamond
Award for Media Excellence amongst several others.
On taking over, she had stated that she had a good knowledge of the challenges of the region and an in-depth knowledge of how the commission ought to be intervening in terms of development. “I understand what our challenges are and I have a responsibility to God and to President Buhari to ensure that his vision for the Niger Delta comes to pass” she restated.
With those words, she commenced a tenure that may well prove the turning point in that region’s development, an issue that has been muddled over the years by unnecessary politicking and a blurred vision by successive leaders entrusted with the agency’s management.
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