"I want my magazine to outlive me like Forbes /Economist"-Hon Jimmy Enyeh,Publisher NATIONAL WAVES Speaks passionately OF His ultimate Dream

Hon Jimmy Enyeh is publisher of wave making NATIONAL WAVES magazine and also politician who once aspired to the Federal house of Representative

In this brief chat with WORLD LEADERS,he spoke on his ambition to see his magazine outliving him and being read like Forbes /Economist even when he is no more ,enjoy the excerpts

* National WAVES Magazine which you conceptualized when you celebrated 40 is 10 years old. What will you do to sustain and ensure it remains on the newsstands?

Well, I guess your question revolves around what happened to some publications which went into extinction after 10 years. Well, with God on our side, adequate planning and good hands, I think we shall not have problems surmounting the challenges of being on the newsstands.

You are very correct; some publications that survived the challenges associated with the early stages went into oblivion on attaining a decade. But for us at National WAVES Magazine, we have learnt the ropes and will rely on the experience acquired over the years to ensure we continue to churn out quality products on monthly basis. For me, ensuring that National WAVES hits the newsstands on monthly basis has become a sort of passion. It has become part of me and it is about ensuring that my dreams come to fruition.

*It’s quite expensive to publish glossy and all color magazines but you have consistently published National WAVES for 10 years. How did this evolve?

As I said earlier, this was made possible by His grace. It is just the grace of God. I remember when we came out with the first edition in February 2008; many of my colleagues who saw it came to me and asked me how I intended to sustain it. Even my wife kicked against it. She advised me to remain with City People and buttressed her argument with the quote of ‘’ a bird in hand is worth than 10,000 in the bush’’ She also reminded me of the numerous bills I needed to settle. I was so adamant that I did not inform my wife when I travelled to Lagos to drop my resignation letter. All those who were against it hinged their arguments on the high cost of producing such magazine and if I had such money to sustain it. Some even mocked me saying ’being an experienced journalist is different from being a publisher or an entrepreneur. They urged me to do a proper feasibility study before resigning my appointment as the Abuja Bureau Chief of City People Magazine but I simply told them that I had made up my mind long ago about this project. This was a project I had carefully studied and prayed on for two years but the problem was how to get funds to set it up. Most investors shy away from investing in the media because for them, it’s difficult to make profit in this line of business. I remember vividly that I wrote about two to three proposals to some of my friends who were initially interested in the project but they fizzled out for reasons best known to them. I think what we needed then was about N10 million. It was not about the money. These friends of mine had more than enough. To them N10 million was something they could afford but they declined to invest.

*So how did you get the funds to set up National WAVES Magazine?

At this point I need to thank Mr. Seye Kehinde, the publisher of City People Magazine who gave me the opportunity to come out with the pilot edition while still working for him. Having worked at City People Abuja office for seven years I was to celebrate my 40 birthday and I left my desk in Abuja to see him in Lagos. Basically, my intention was to discuss how to celebrate my 40th birthday. At the meeting, I was so categorical. I told him I needed to publish a special edition for my birthday and he obliged me. I was ecstatic. What I had in mind was just a one-off thing that I could take to some of my friends and convince them to buy into it but had to change my mind because I realized some money, (although not what I had in mind) but enough to continue with the project from the 40th birthday congratulatory adverts placed by friends and well-wishers. I sincerely thank those who gave me congratulatory adverts for that first edition. It was the tonic that spurred me into action. So I forged ahead and to God be the glory, we are still in business.

*WHAT is your ultimate goal in life

BEYOND RETURNING BACK TO POLITICS IN 2023 ,I dream of having this my magazine WAVES to outlive me, I want even if am no more around after my old age ,I want the magazine to still be in circulation like FORBES/ECONOMIST etc,this is the reason I make effort to print and circulate always even when many are crying over the bad economic recession,I WILL love the magazine to outlive me by Gods grace

* This is a SPECIAL CERUTTI MEDIA

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