Quitting my job at IBC was the best decision of my life-Fan Ndubuoke

Chief Fan Ndubuoke is a renowned figure in Sports Journalism and administration, having commenced his career on the sports desk of the defunct Imo Broadcasting Service, IBS, now Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC, Owerri.

He subsequently worked on the Sports Desk of Champion Newspapers before establishing National Sports Link, an all-sports newspaper based in Lagos.

Chief Ndubuoke, a native of Mbaise’, Imo State, held esteemed positions as National Chairman, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN; Chairman, Imo State Chapter of SWAN; and Chairman, Imo Football Association, FA.

He also served as General Manager, GM Heartland FC, during which tenure Heartland FC won the Federation Cup back to back.

While serving as GM, Heartland FC, he was involved in a ghastly motor accident, necessitating seven surgeries in Nigeria and Germany.

On Thursday, September 18, 2025, Ndubuoke, who holds the revered chieftaincy title of Ezinwa Mbaise, shared his life experiences with Chris Abiaziem, a veteran sports journalist, and Gele Agbai, Publisher of National Newsbreak Newspaper.

Excerpts:

Job at IBS/IBC

We were four that were found worthy to undertake a course at the Mass Communication Department of the University of Lagos, UNILAG. At the last lap of the course, we were asked to come back. We refused. We said if we were sacked at the completion of the course, we would use the certificate to look for another job.
By the time we completed the course and returned we were told we had been sacked. But somehow the sack couldn’t hold.
At IBC, we didn’t have Sports Desk, it was Chudi Onuzo who saw my interest in sports and created the desk. While at college, I played football. Later on graduation, we formed the Vipers FC of Mbutu which later changed to Vipers FC of Mbaise’. We played in the Division One of Imo State Football League then.
I could remember a match we played at Aba against PZ FC, we beat them on the field but they beat us blue and black

So on my return from UNILAG, Onuzo created the Sports Desk at the IBS as it was then called. In fact, he directed that I should man the desk and that they should not give me any assignment other than sports.

To prove myself, I would clutch my tape and travel with Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC to Kaduna State and Abeokuta and any other places they were locking horns. Nobody would give you any allowances.

This was why I mourned Coach Monday Sinclair when he passed away. Coach Sinclair would ask me to share his bed in the hotel. He was an avid reader who would read almost throughout the night. Unlike others in his shoes, he has no business flirting with women.

When I returned to Owerri I would file my stories and everyone would commend me. They wouldn’t know I was carrying the task with the skin of my teeth.

Onuzo gave me additional assignment. He told me to write newstalk on sports every Saturday. I seized the assignment with both hands. Because I had developed flair for writing, he would sometimes give me topics outside sports to write and I would do so. When there was the issue of the Press Unit at Aso Rocks to be named after a great Nigerian, I looked at the contributions of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and did a piece that made a case for the Press Unit to be named after him.

Onuzo was not in the state when I did the piece but on his return, he commended me saying it was a masterpiece. Onuzo knew how to recognize quality.

In 1988, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu started Champion Newspapers and appointed Emma Agu as editor. Madubuike was executive director. They were looking for strong hands to man the sports desk.

By then, I had put in nine years at IBC. I decided to quit my job at the IBC. My colleagues didn’t like the idea. I said I was leaving. I didn’t even tell my wife. In fact, while travelling to Lagos for interview, I told my wife I was traveling to collect my certificate at UNILAG.

At the interview at Champion, I was the only person with background in the electronic media. All others were already established names in the print media. People like Emeka Inyama, Sam John, Banjo Ola and Paul Bassey who was Sports Editor of The Punch.

The only greenhorn among us was Emeka Obasi who had just graduated from UNIBEN but had historical background of sports having studied History. He dazzled all.

To my greatest surprise, I came tops at the interview. I didn’t know how it happened. But the challenge I had was page planning. I didn’t know page planning. I had started learning how to crop pictures, how to plan pages. Of course, you can’t do better than the masters, Emeka Inyama and the rest. What I did was to go for exclusive stories. Paul Bassey and the rest started calling me exclusive merchant in Champion. The story nobody would get, I would get it and we would lead with it. What sold Champion was Sports.

They made me an offer. My salary at the IBC was N410 in 1988. When I wanted to leave IBC they refused. Onuzo, Chigboukwu Okenze refused. I told them I had a better offer. They said no, rather I should be promoted from Grade Level 07 to 08. I said I was not staying back. I looked at the salary of Grade Level 08 and the offer I had, and said I must leave.

They felt I was bragging. I said sirs, this was a life-changing opportunity. They said it would create industrial disharmony if they go to another step. It became a blackmail of some sorts. I showed them my appointment paper and they said it was the salary of a controller. That was how I resigned. I didn’t bother about gratuity and pension.

We started Champion on 15th September 1988. I married in 1987. I left my wife because I wanted a breakthrough.

Best decision of my life

Even you will answer for me whether the decision was the best. Quitting my job at IBC was the best decision of my life. It opened doors in so many ways. What guided me was that I was scared of poverty. I looked at some journalists who were ahead of us. They had name but they were not living what I thought was my level of wellness. When you see them, you wouldn’t like to practice as a journalist.

I said I was going to practice in a different way. So I started the job at Champion, the pay was good but I was still restless. I was at Champion for three years and I left to start National Sports Link. Myself, Emeka Inyama, Onyebuchi Abia. Chukas was executive director representing Ejikeme Nzeh. I didn’t know Ejikeme Nzeh from Adam but they said he would bring money. When we met, Ejikeme Nzeh said he would be publisher, I said no because we were bringing our intellectual property to the table.

We made him Chairman of the company. He brought Ejimofor and Chris Anaele as nominal directors. All of us were directors. We owned shares.
We started the newspaper. We were radicals. Stories you said nobody should publish, we published them and damned the consequences.

To be continued