Colleagues, friends of VON’s Ben Shemang honour him with reception

The adage ‘give honour to whom honour is due’ found expression as colleagues in the broadcast industry, friends and family as well as retired senior military personnel came together to honour and celebrate the years of service and the retirement of Voice of Nigeria Director News, Mr Ben Adam Shemang.

Mr Ben Shemang who through his career as a broadcaster covered the state house and the Armed forces amongst other beats was ambushed with a surprise retirement party by colleagues in the News Department of Voice of Nigeria who felt that a man that has impacted lives as he did could not just exit the organization quietly.

Among the Dignitaries who came to honour him, was the Former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Benin Republic, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai who described Ben Shemang as a true patriot, a true nationalist per excellence and a truly detribalized Nigerian that does not discriminate.

General Buratai recalled fondly how he met Shemang as a young officer in the mid-nineties, to the high point of their relationship when he became the Chief of Army Staff and Shemang through Voice of Nigeria covered his activities with all sense of professionalism.

“You also called me a family member of Voice of Nigeria VON, my relationship with Ben Shemang dates back as far back as the 90s and before then, as a young officer I have always glued myself to the radio to listen to Voice of Nigeria, I never missed the main news and the commentaries while I was in Lagos. I listened because of the incisive news commentaries, Patriotic disposition and true nationalistic views per excellence. When I was in Angola, at a point, copies of Voice of Nigeria-produced news commentaries were being sent to me. When I finished my mission in United Nations in Angola and came back to Nigeria, I was sent to the presidency where I met Ben Shemang, the relationship continued even after I left the State House”.

“This is why when he approached me with the idea for the Program Beyond Bullets, without any hesitation, I quickly approved today it is one of the flagship programmes of Voice of Nigeria and it truly reflects the true happenings in the Nigerian Military as well as the government. And of course, it projected the true situation unlike the so many distractions, falsehoods and fake news that have always been the order of the day on social media”

“I want to most sincerely appreciate and congratulate you for a very successful service you have rendered, this is why the Nigerian Army saw the gallantry he displayed along with some of his colleagues while we were deep in the North East even went into the Sambisa forest with him, as far as Gamboru Ngala, the Nigerian border with Cameroon, to border of Niger and Chad, crisscrossing both day and night in the North East in the face of serious threats but he and his colleagues lead the way with their mediums hence the recognition he received of the Chief of Army Staff award in 2016” Stated General Buratai

The Director General, of Voice of Nigeria Mr Osita Okechukwu, described Ben Shemang as one of the pillars of Voice of Nigeria and a quintessential broadcaster who gave life to the agency.

“Though he has retired, he is on our reserve list and we shall continue to call on him because he is a reservoir of knowledge, brilliance and delivery. We cherish his service and wish to have another director of news with his pedigree, depth of knowledge, and communication and we wish him the best in all his endeavours”

The Former Director General, of Voice of Nigeria, Mr Abubakar Jijiwa while speaking highly of Shemang applauded how much of an extraordinarily good person he is, a good staff of voice of Nigeria and a dedicated journalist.

 

 

“For me, the attraction to Ben is the humanity in him and that’s why anything about him I am happy to participate. I advise the staff to be professional, disciplined but beyond that, we should be our brother’s keeper and exhibit the humanity in us and that is why everyone here is exhibiting this kind of spirit because the person of Ben Shemang”

 

Mr Shemang while recounting his experience as a Defence Correspondent said he was in the trenches with the soldiers, in pursuit of coverage of the Boko Haram fight in Sambisa forest in the North East, the crisis in the Niger Delta region, the war in sierra Leon and Liberia.

 

 

“the journey was not that smooth but we give God the glory. I remember we were going to the Gambarun gala with General Buratai as Chief of Army Staff, we were ambushed by Boko Haram but they got a bitter elimination by the Nigerian Army. I enjoyed also Joint Operations at that time, it has the Chief of Army Staff, and Chief of Air Staff, all come together in operations, we always looked forward to when the services come together in joint operations where no service takes credit alone” Stated Mr Shemang.

He, therefore, advises young journalists not to give Boko Haram any advantage over the military but pointed out the need to celebrate the military as they are awake while the rest of the nation sleep and they hold the forth.

The man of the hour added that retirement feels like a new baby released from an old order to a new order and said he is thankful he prepared for his retirement.

Present at the occasion was serving and retired military personnel, serving and retired broadcasters from different media houses, family, friends and well-wishers.

 

 

 

 

O.O