“The Golden Boy Of African Media” | Legendary Newscaster Cyril Stober Interviews Chude Jideonwo To Celebrate 25 Years In The Media.
Legendary newscaster and TV host Cyril Stober sat down to interview Chude Jideonwo in celebration of his 25 years in the media. In the interview, Jideonwo spoke extensively about his work in the media industry since the age of 15, beginning with his first job at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). He discussed his extensive career, which spanned various media platforms, including print, radio, online, film, and television. He also recounted his experiences working at NTA, MBI, and Channels TV, as well as contributing to publications such as TEMPO Magazine, ThisDay, and NEXT.
When asked how he was able to lead successful media campaigns across different countries for presidential elections while remaining untainted, Jideonwo responded, “I wouldn’t say I have been untainted because while you are doing it, people associate you with the politician. The difference has been that once I am done, I move on. What excited me was media, and then it became media and politics and how they go together. When I worked for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, I was working directly with Oronto Douglas at that time. That was when I got my first invitation to join government, and I said, ‘No,’ because that wasn’t the joy of it. The joy of it was working on media. When I worked with the Buhari government, I got my first and second offers, but it was never about politics for me—it was about media. And when the principles between both clashed, I left.”
Speaking about money, Jideonwo explained that while he has always been conscious of money, he has never made decisions solely because of it. He narrated how he was working at Virgin Nigeria and left to work with NEXT newspaper, even though they were already owing three months' salaries. He said, “I tell young people that the lesson is not to choose poverty. Rather, it is that money cannot be the only driver of your decisions, but money is important.”
Jideonwo shared how he has been able to balance life despite starting work early. He said, “The work part was a lot of my life because I was so driven, and I started work at 15. I tried to mix it up, but work was 90% of my life, which is part of what my new book is about. So, in my twenties, I had a nervous breakdown because it was just too much pressure, and I had to see a doctor who forced me to go and rest. Even in my resting, I still didn’t rest—I became a secondary school teacher at my alma mater, Mayflower Private School. But that was the best rest I could get. It was because of that experience that I had to structure my life. I later had my first vacation and planned regular vacations. The way I was going, if I had continued that way, I would have had no memories of being a young man.”
He spoke further about how work often gets a bad reputation and how, although he still loves work, he has learned to balance it. As much as he doesn’t joke with work, he also doesn’t joke with rest, his friends, his family, and his faith. He has learned to integrate all of these aspects into his life.
Speaking on his vision for his work in the coming years, Jideonwo shared his passion for telling African stories to Africans—Senegalese stories to Malians, Ghanaian stories to Nigerians. He said, “I think where we have missed it is that we have focused on many other things like politics and economics. As a young child, who do you think you are? Do you see your country as a place where great people have worked? Do you see possibilities? I want to be part of that work. I was disciplined for the first five years—I told Nigerian stories. Now, I want to tell multiple African stories in multiple formats in multiple nations.”
Watch excerpt here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGhm2_0NQhK/