BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
Generously endowed with the gift of the gab by his Creator, Charles Aniagwu, Delta State Commissioner for Information, is an eloquent speaker and a listeners’ delight anytime and any day. And he embodies professional competence. Young, smart and always exuding confidence, Aniagwu is a media practitioner with over 20 years professional experience. His appointment into the information ministry graphically illustrates the meaning of the expression, “round peg in a round hole.”
Friends and colleagues of his attest that he has demonstrated immense knowledge and sound wisdom in the discharge of his duties.
A native of Akumazi-Umuocha in the present day Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State, Aniagwu studied at Auchi Polytechnic and the Ogun State Polytechnic. He later went to the University of Calabar, for further studies in Public Administration. He is a holder of other several certificates in courses he took over the years, including one in Modern Broadcast Technologies from Deutsche Welle Radio Training Centre in collaboration with Voice of Nigeria, among others.
In 2001, he worked as the Political Correspondent in DBN TV from where he left to DAAR Communications in 2005 where he served as the National Assembly Correspondent for many years. As a Co-Producer/Presenter of ‘Political Platform’ for Raypower FM, a sister station of AIT, he contributed significantly in shaping political discourse in the country by his deep and well researched analyses of thorny national political issues for many years.
Anaiagwu started his Delta State tour of duty way back in 2015 as the Chief Press Secretary to Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, immediately he was sworn in for his first term while covering the National Assembly for the African Independent Television, AIT.
He went on to emerge as the Commissioner for Information when Governor Okowa began his second term in office in 2019, a development that has now firmly engraved his name in the hall of fame of the exclusive club of the few media and image managers who moved up the ladder of appointment from being CPS to Commissioners of Information.
Aniagwu has been described by friends and colleagues in superlative adjectives. Eugene Uzum, a lawyer and Director General of Delta State Orientation Bureau, described Aniagwu as “a bundle of intellect. He is well cut in information management and dissemination, a consummate professional and displays a lot of professionalism in the discharge of his duties both now and when he was CPS.
“I must tell you also that he is passionate about his job and very much at home with it. In addition, he is a very kind hearted person, and he is one journalist who puts journalism before himself. He is both a team player and a super team leader and he exhibits a good level of interpersonal relationships with all and that has garnered him a lot of friends across the country and part of the globe. He is a good family man and very reliable. He is a very kind person and makes a lot of sacrifice. That has endeared him to so many persons.”
Nelson Egware, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, has even a lot more to say about the man he described as his ‘boss’.
“He is a man of vast knowledge and competence, working with him has no doubt made public service a delight because he is an embodiment of competence, character and unquestionable integrity.
“His knack for excellence and devotion to duty is legendary and worthy of emulation. His passion for the development of Delta State and emancipation of the downtrodden radiates daily in him as he is always engulfed with thoughts of how to better the lots of people,” Egware told The Point.
Yet, Aniagwu is not given to working in a manner that affects his social interaction with his friends. Again, Egware pointed out that “he maintains a very cordial relationship with staff, colleagues and associates. He is a jolly good fellow who hardly shows or acts that he is the boss. He has a very good interpersonal relationship with everyone around him. He is simple, approachable, easy going and a typical example of what a boss should be.
“He doesn’t believe in gossips and he is well known to be a great motivator and a man with huge feelings especially for the less privileged in the society. He believes in hardwork and has always encouraged people who worked hard to put in their best for the good of the organisation.”
The preponderance of opinion, even from civil service quarters is that both Governor Okowa in particular and Deltans in general have benefitted immensely from having Aniagwu serve first as Chief Press Secretary and now as Commissioner for Information.
Egware added that, “All through his period as CPS and now as Information Commissioner, the Governor never had any major media crisis. He is a good information manager who believes in making friends for his boss and for the government rather than attacking people and creating more enemies for his boss and the government. He employs the best use of words that will not elicit any harsh response to the people he is communicating to and I must say he is a great role model to me and lots of others in the media team.
“All through his period as CPS and now as Information Commissioner, the Governor never had any major media crisis. He is a good information manager who believes in making friends for his boss and for the government rather than attacking people and creating more enemies for his boss and the government
“
“With a formidable “SMART TEAM” he has been able to communicate the SMART INITIATIVES of the Okowa led administration to the world in a most effective, consistent and content filled manner devoid of monotonous programmes.”
Describing the experience of working with Aniagwu when he was CPS and now that he is Information Commissioner, Egware said, “For those of us who have had the opportunity of working with him in the last 6years, I can boldly say that it has been an elder brother and younger brother working relationship. He has never shown that he is the boss and never yelled at me or any of my colleagues. He is an easy going boss with lots of integrity.
“His grasp and knowledge of politics is worth exploring because he has friends across political divides and he still maintains close ties with many of them. As a political leader in the media and communication department, he has show great industry and provided astute leadership to us. I must commend him for his friendliness and accommodating spirit and for always believing and encouraging competence on the job.
“Indeed it has been a great privilege to tap from his rich journalistic experience and administrative acumen. Words are not enough to describe his impact in my life as a mentee of his media and political school of thought.”
A top civil servant in the state who preferred to remain anonymous and didn’t want his name mentioned, acknowledged Aniagwu’s professional knowhow, saying that but for such a sure footed hand, the administration could have ran into controversial storms over some issues.
“Well, I think the Governor got Aniagwu’s appointment very right. There is no doubting that. You can even see from outside that information management is good. Let me just say that. If not for his professionalism a lot would have been thrown at the administration that could have rocked it badly. Nobody is saying much because somebody is working and working well. This is not because I am from the same zone in Delta with him; I am only stating what I know for a fact and think one should be honest for once. Information management in Delta is very safe and in competent hands.”
Aniagwu has repositioned the state owned media houses. Both the Delta State Broadcasting Service and The Pointer newspaper have been given a new lease of life. Training workshops and capacity building program aimed at raising the standard of media practitioners are key to him achieving mileage in his assignment. He first organized a training workshop for the Government House Press Crew and then recently, a workshop for Information Officers and Public Relations Officers in the Ministry of Information.
Aniagwu, as is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, surely understands image making and reputation management. He has introduced various ways of packaging and branding the administration to the admiration of all.
