Deputy Director Digital Media, Voice of Nigeria, Dr Qasim Akinreti, writes on the glorious exit of Ben Shemang from the Voice of Nigeria at 60 with additional career journey details.
January 1st, 2023, Ben Shemang marks his 60th Birthday. That signifies a glorious exit from Voice of Nigeria as an International State Broadcaster. Medium height, black, handsome, soft-spoken, and always full of jokes. That was my Boss Ben Shemang. A multi-lingual International Broadcast Journalist, Trainer, and News administrator, Ben as popularly called by his peers will be remembered for making significant contributions to Voice of Nigeria.
Immense Contributions To VON
He took over from John Elaigwu, as the Bureau Chief of VON in Abuja in the early years of the movement to Abuja. Yemi Fakayejo, ‘FAKAS”, was the State House Correspondent then. He gave VON more visibility and presence in the Nation’s capital. The story of the VON Transmission station in Lugbe cannot be completed without the unique inputs of Ben Shemang. Thank you, Oga Ben.
Part of My Tutelage
I met him in 1993 during my internship at Voice of Nigeria, after the Post Graduate Programme at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, Ogba, Lagos. Then he was the VON DEFENCE CORRESPONDENT, with concurrent accreditation to all security agencies. I accompany him to the State House Dodan Barracks, carrying “The Nagra Equipment”. After the state house assignment, he took good care of me. Jokingly, Ben will say in passable Yoruba ” Brother Mi So ti Jeun, Omo Iya wa strong fun ise yin ni o”.
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Ben taught me, along with other seniors, news writing and news production, and tagging the audio tapes were quite tedious in those days. Apart from being a Correspondent on beats, you must produce VONSCOPE, SIXTY MINUTES, AND OTHER NEWS PROGRAMMES. Indeed, you are an all-rounder in the Newsroom.
He rose through the ranks to become the Director of Training and later the Director of News.
Oga Ben was concerned about my Selfless Service at NUJ Lagos STATE COUNCIL and pray for me. INDEED, I WILL MISS HIS WISE COUNSEL IN THE NEWSROOM, BUT TECHNOLOGY WILL ASSIST ME TO REACH HIM ANYWHERE.
Well Deserved
Enjoy your retirement, Sir. It is well deserved. Surely but slowly, we are also coming to join you as Senior Citizens.
In his LinkedIn profile, Shemang gave more details about his media career:
I’ve been in journalism since 1990. I produce programmes, anchor live interviews, and was also an editor. As National Correspondent I moved at short notice especially if there were conflicts…(recalling the Niger Delta, Benue/plateau/Kaduna/Kano etc). I was also Defence and Crimes correspondent …coverage which also took me to Sierra Leone and Liberia during their wars and subsequent elections.
In terms of politics, I covered Presidential Villa and I witnessed two military regimes (General Sani Abacha and General Abubakar Abdulsalami. Hmmm, I recall vividly the day General Abacha overthrew the Interim Government of Chief Earnest Shonekan. When democracy came in 1990, I again covered President Olusegun Obasanjo for about a year and when President Muhammadu Buhari was elected president I was again posted to the State House (Presidential Villa) as a correspondent for about two years. I surely witnessed military and democratic governments, covering big political rallies and being a member of Nigeria Elections Debate Group, organisers of elections debates in Nigeria. When Boko Haram struck my management ensured I handled defence news as I became an embedded correspondent going into the trenches with the soldiers.
From Deputy Director of News, I became the pioneer Director of Training as management felt I should start impacting my wealth of experience on the young and middle-level professionals in Voice of Nigeria. The office has some working agreements with a number of international broadcasting organisations.
I underwent some training with the BBC and Deutsche Welle Radio, Voice of America and South African Broadcasting Corporation. I do reports for DW Radio and Radio France International (RFI). From time to time I get invited to train journalists here in Nigeria.
I covered military courts and election petition cases.
I have travelled to about 30 countries and covered some United Nations General Assembly, the Organisation of African Union and now the African Union, and covered summits of the Economic Community of West African States. I also covered peace talks in Liberia and the Darfur-Sudan Peace talks. I love photography and have just started my YouTube: Ben Adam Shemang.
My hobbies include going to teach in my village in Bondon District in Kaura Local Government Area in the southern part of Kaduna State. I love donating blood every 3 months. I love travelling and WATCHING YOU!
Married, have three children one read law, the other telecommunications engineering while the last one read computer science and is into animation.
