Renowned Nigerian journalist, Chief Dele Momodu, has revealed he resorted to selling bread for a living after he lost his job as the country’s highest-paid editor.
In an exclusive interview with Bola Ray on Starr Chat, Mr. Momodu said he did not allow himself to be discouraged by the sudden turn of events.
“I realised that the biggest embarrassment about not having a job is people asking you, ‘So what are you going to do now?’ And you have no answer. I became a bread seller. Imagine going from being an editor, the highest-paid, coming down. I came down to rock bottom,” he said emphatically.
He noted that he remained resolute in the face of the embarrassment.
Discussing power dynamics as an influence on losing his job, Chief Momodu said successful people in their jobs were often targeted by society.
“I lost my job as the highest-paid editor in Nigeria. I was removed as Editor and promoted as Managing Editor, which to me I knew was a promotion into redundancy.
“I was in London when it was done. The day I returned to Nigeria on Sunday, I resigned by Monday. They took my official car, they took my driver,” he recalled.
Asked whether he published stories that made the powers that be uncomfortable, he said, “When you get too powerful in your job, you should always know there are people who will come for you. I became too powerful.”
