Famous veteran journalist, television personality, producer, publisher, analyst, activist, critic, newsmaker, chartered diplomat and public intellectual, Dr. Charles Chinekezi is a leading journalist and lecturer in Nigeria whose career records can confound even book-makers and observers alike, taking cognizance of his beginning age, early life, education, family, awards, companies and net-worth. Chinekezi who published his first professional article in a state government-owned newspaper in Nigeria at his twentieth birthday has never looked back ever since.
A senior consultant on print and electronic media with MCL Cable News Television Station Aba, Nigeria and the president/ CEO of Communication Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation (Worldwide) Inc.- the internationally reputed mass media and business administration professional examining board which operates the famous African-American International Research Institute of Nigeria in a licensed association with the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered).
Chinekezi is also president, editorial board of Associated Journalists International Press service, a multi-dimensional news-feature service firm formed several years ago for specialized investigative journalism services. He has published articles in several national and international newspapers, magazines and television stations. An analyst and resource person for both CNN and Reuters News Agency (Television) of England, Chinekezi has been interviewed and reported on such worldwide television channels as E-News of South Africa, Power FM, Johannesburg, NewsAfrica T.V., London and The Economist.
He was Eastern (Regional) Bureau Chief and Special Correspondent in Nigeria’s BUSINESS Magazine and Business Today Newspaper, published by Worldwide Business Media Limited, Lagos. Chinekezi served as editor, NATIONAL CURRENT newspaper after his position as anchor-man for Modern Communications Limited, (MCL) Cable Television Political/ economic program- ‘MANDATE’ also transmitted on NTA Channel Six Aba, and Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State (BCA) Television. He also represented Houston Guardian Newspaper, U.S.A as a foreign correspondent after a stint as a co-producer with Dr. Henry Nwachukwu’s Mid-Range T.V. Production Studio in Aba Nigeria.
In a professional career spanning more than three decades, Chinekezi has written for and has been reported extensively nationally and internationally in media outfits such as Sunday post newspaper, Newspack Magazine, Dynamite Magazine, Business Magazine, Newbreed Magazine, Business Today Newspaper, Advocate Newspaper, The Bridge Magazine, Human Right Magazine, Fortune Magazine, Eastern Herald Newspaper, National Post Newspaper, Nigerian Pilot Newspaper, Newsbearer Magazine, Orient Newspaper, Daily Sun Newspaper, Daily Nation Newspaper, Sunday Nation Newspaper, Sunday Sun Newspaper, Guardian Newspaper, National Guardian Newspaper, City Guardian Newspaper, Vanguard Newspaper, National Vision Newspaper, BusinessDay Newspaper, Business Policy Magazine, News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN), Punch Newspaper, Comet Newspaper, New Republic Newspaper and Eastern Times Newspaper, Prestige Magazine.
Other platforms includes, South South Newspaper, Prestige Magazine, Independent Newspaper, Ukpaka Reports, National Mirror Newspaper, Mail Newspaper, Announcer Express Newspaper, Magic FM, Real FM, Nigerian Television Authority(N.T.A), National Pathfinder Newspaper, MCL Cable Television, Popular Broadcasting Service Television (PBSTV), National Ambassador Newspaper, National Newsbreak Newspaper, Statesman Newspaper, People’s Weekly, Newsworld Magazine, Tusk Newspaper, Horn Newspaper, Source Magazine, News Network Newspaper, Daily Times Newspaper, Prime Newspaper, Newspoint Newspaper, Prime Magazine, Savanna Express Magazine, Champion Newspaper, News-star Newspaper, Pulse Magazine, Voice Magazine, Sahara Reporters, Telegraph Newspaper, News Echo Newspaper, Freepressnews International, The Internet and World Wide Web (Google, Youtube, Yahoo and Wikipedia) just to mention some.
A remarkable journalism career that has seen him covering, interviewing and playing host to presidents, heads of state, rebel leaders, warlords, famous political leaders, statesmen, scholars, intellectuals, top executives, C.E.Os, sportsmen, singers and performers, actors, film stars, superstars and megastars in entertainment industry, diplomacy and the professions including the Japanese and United States envoys Mr. Yasushi Kurokochi and Mr. Howard Jetter respectively alongside other icons across several foreign nations of the world and in the process bequeathing him all the credentials of a truly outstanding international personality, having been featured in documentary films, academic and professional books.
An all time explosive communicator, Chinekezi whose every post in the social media communities reaches over three billion people at the pressing of a button every single time, is ultimately wired electronically across the world being extensively connected in numerous high population density internet communities of both mainstream and social media platforms which all holds global audiences and appeal.
He also received the ‘Top Ten’ Professional Examination Performance Awards of Business Management Association London, England, ‘Meritorious Service Award’ by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the ‘Distinguished Lecturer of the Year Award’ by Triumphant Voice Magazine after delivering the Annual National Lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) titled, ‘National Development and Mismanagement: Forces At Opposite Roles’ in year (2012) and the year (2014) Centenary Management Summit Lecture titled, ‘Defining Nigeria’s Nationhood at 100 years: The Viewpoint of Management’ of the same institute.
The Insead Business School professor has presented hundreds of academic/ intellectual papers, lectures and debates over the years among which includes, ‘The Relationship Between the Press and the Professional Administrator’ (African American Institute (1998), ‘Nigeria- U.S Business/ financial Friendship’ (African American Institute(1999), ‘John F. Kennedy Legacy in International Development’(J.F.K. Lecture Series) African American Institute (2000), ‘Effects of Hard Drugs on youths’ lecture (Abia State Polytechnic/ National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(N.D.L.E.A) joint Anti- Drug Lecture (2001), ‘The Effects Of Financial Crimes in the Nigerian Economy’ (Youth Action International Lecture(1999), ‘General Press Law and Healthy Editorial Competition’ (General Editorial productions Quality Enhancement Training Workshop by MCL Cable News Television, Nigeria (2015), ‘Understanding Emotional Intelligence for managers and other professional people’ organized by (MCL TV) Top Management Peak Performance Training (2017), ‘Corruption, Marginalization And Underdevelopment, A CAse For Igbo Presidency As The Kernel of Restructuring Nigeria’ (57th Anniversary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2017), ‘The Role and Importance Of Management in Organisations’ (Convocation Lecture Of The Niger Delta Polytechnic Nigeria (2020) and many more too numerous to mention.
Urbane and extraordinarily resplendent in his approach to issues, Chinekezi’s unassuming and calm exterior masks the ferocious discipline that guides his actions, propelling an amazing career that has recorded a series of spectacular reports on the lives and deaths of four most iconic 20th century global individuals of African descent in the persons of former South African President, Dr. Nelson Mandela, Former Head of State of the defunct Biafran Republic, Ikemba Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Col. Joe “Hannibal” Achuzia the celebrated dare-devil maverick military commander of the Biafran army during the Nigerian civil war and world literary icon, professor Chinua Achebe of blessed memories at different times which has been selected by the board of African American International research Institute to be adapted into a mega documentary movie which will be produced soon.
Born on August 3, 1963 in Aba Nigeria, Chinekezi Attended Asa Road Primary School (C.K.C) Aba, Holy Ghost College Owerri and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from West London College of Technology; Broadhurst University, California, U.S.A and received a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Mercy International University Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.
A British and American trained journalism graduate of the Writing School High Road London, Chinekezi also holds undergraduate and postgraduate professional degrees in journalism and public relations. He is also a registered member of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and Nigerian Institute of Management. A fellow of Nigerian Institute of Sales Management and senior member, Nigerian Institute of Diplomacy and Management. He was also elected to the Executive Council of the American Institute of Management, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., former, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Aba Federated Chapel and currently the Chairman, Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) Aba Chapter.
An internationally well known commentator for television cable news broadcasting stations, newspapers and magazines, movie producer, civil rights activists, speaker, consultant and owner of many companies and the power to make or break events, Chinekezi is a journalist per excellence whose professional career crossed stars and compared notes with some of the best minds and brains in the profession, and has as an international writer, scholar, researcher, scriptwriter and analyst delivered the African-American International Research Institutes John F.Kennedy Development Lectures in Accra, Monrovia, Conakry, Dakar, Nouakchott, Bamako, Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Lome, Cotonou, Lagos, Enugu, Markurdi, Port Harcourt, Abakaliki, Awka, Aba, Abuja and Owerri Just to mention a few.
He also covered some of the world’s most troubled territories including armed conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria’s Delta region and has over the years balanced mainstream journalism practice with management education and training, consulting and human rights activism which has ensured a place for the voiceless in both home grown and far reaching, print and electronic media, making him a hero of the down-trodden whose advancement he tirelessly champions and a master of the Aba community, his birth place.
Also as a political activist, he was the editor of the publication titled, ‘After the Inferno, Lets Rebuild Abia’ a solution blueprint of Abia State development problems. It was Charles Chinekezi who in 2008 with Christian Purefoy and Hanninton Osodo of CNN and Reuters respectively jointly broke the news and ignited the CNN breaking news story on the kidnapping of 15 underaged school children from Aba, Nigeria which forced the president Goodluck Jonathan Federal Governmet to deploy the Nigerian armed forces into Aba and Abia leading to the release and recovery of the kidnapped pupils in Abia State, flushing out and permanently stopping the menace and insecurity of kidnapping for ransom in the entire South Eastern Nigeria in a consolidated collaboration between MCLTV news, CNN and Reuters reports subsequently transmitted on both BBC television, Aljazeera and other global networks
. As a media mogul and chartered management practitioner and professor, Chinekezi is the principal promoter of International Films and Television Productions Enterprises, United Press International News Services, Freepress International Features Services, People of the World Media Company, Rainbow International Publicity Services, Newsmatch International Communications Services, International Business Magazine Company and True Success International Magazine, Insead Business School, Abbey National Assurance, Stanford Model Schools and Virgin Express Transport Company.
An ordained high priest of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Chinekezi holds a 14th degree black-belt in American Karate and was nicknamed “Acid” by his classmates at Holy Ghost College Owerri. He is a trained dog fighter, bull fighter, and gymnast, trained by Aba-Nigeria-based Cameroonian born 1970s professional prize fighter and martial artist, Black Angel, who won several continental championship tournaments in both wrestling and karate. He was nominated “Man of the Year 2005” and for the International “Who is Who of Professionals in the world” by the American Biographical Institute, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. A trained, registered and seasoned journalist, broadcaster, scholar, critic and activist, Chinekezi is currently a very successful media personality and a senior consultant with MCL Cable News Television, professor of media management at African-American International Research Institute, a registered, licensed and internationally accredited private professional postgraduate media and management education and training centre in public service and Insead Business School West Africa Outreach.
He has served as consulting professor and orator to a number of institutions, including Clackson School of Technology, New York Institute of Technology Education, Kennedy University college, Atlantic International University, Hawaii and Atlas University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He is married to a former beauty queen, writer and chartered accountant, Ruth Edwards with four children who are all studying and pursuing media careers and can be reached and consulted on his listed global mobile number 08159183523 for further inquiries, interviews and reports.
First published in Savanna Express Magazine In 2014 – By George Oraeki (Editor)