By Florence Amagiya
The owner of City People Magazine, Dr. Seye Kehinde, needs no introduction in the entertainment industry and to many Nigerians. His magazine, ‘City People’ is one of the most consistent magazines in Nigeria since 1996. Dr Seye’s career as a journalist began in the university and hasn’t stopped till date.
Today, he is one of the major players behind the success stories of many reputable entertainers in Nigeria and in the diaspora. Recently, on his 50th birthday celebration held on Friday, 24th April 2015, many celebrities including politicians of repute were present. In this edition, I present to you, an icon, a journalist, the father of three children, and the publisher of City People Magazine.
Read on…
Childhood and journey so far
I am from Ogun state, but was born and bred in Ibadan. Then Ibadan was the capital of the old western state. I grew up with my parents who were civil servants. My childhood was an exciting one. I attended a Catholic school, Mary Hill Convent school. Then I had my secondary education at Remo Grammar School in Sagamu, Ogun state.
I did my A-Levels at Ogun state Polytechnic before I gained admission to study History and Political science at the University of Ile Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU). While studying, I worked as a freelance reporter for Herald Newspaper.
From that time, the seed of journalism was planted in me. I served at Kwara state Polytechnic Ilorin. During my service year, I shuttled between teaching History and writing articles for Newswatch Magazine. I didn’t have to look for a job after youth service because I had worked for renowned newspaper houses in Nigeria already.
The Guardian and Tribune were some of the newspapers I worked with. I also worked with big names likes the late Dele Giwa and so many others. I could also have easily chosen to stay back at Kwara state Polytechnic and become a Lecturer or a reporter at Herald Newspaper but I decided to move to Lagos state to write my own story.
The Birth of City People Magazine
I was part of the team that founded The News Magazine and Tell which were the two existing weekly magazines as at then. l also worked with Newswatch. But I had a dream to be my own boss some day. So one day, I called a few of my colleagues and told them that it was time l moved on. But l was careful enough to discuss my fears with them and that I may return if things doesn’t work as planned. Through their support and prayers in November 1996, ‘City People Magazine” was born.
The best period of this job came ten years ago when we started gaining grounds and stability. Initially, when we started off in 1996, it was during the military era. There was a lack of civilian democracy; the media was under strict supervision from the government so we could not write just any news. But when the civilian government came in, we returned to a good level of stability and the economy became pleasant.
I would say the big break came from the fact that we remained consistent, I put everything I had into it. Thankful to goodhearted people, word went round that there was a new Magazine in town and supporters came out. Looking back, there was no particular breakthrough but the fact that we stayed fervent and hardworking made it a wonderful journey.
When I started, City People Magazine was located only in Lagos state but along the line, a few of my colleagues advised me to take it to the next level by cutting across other big cities in the country. As it was, we started sending copies to regions like the South West, and then expanded to Delta, Abuja and Port-Ha court. The response was massive and now we are one of the best.
CHALLENGES
The resources were not always available but I was hopeful on the little money I was able to make. From the starting point, it was not rosy at all because the biggest challenge was funding. I am grateful to God that I had a few friends who were very supportive so we had to be diligent. Now the establishment is a success story.
50th Birthday Celebration
I was so happy that people find me worthy of being associated with. It was a working day and I was honored that they could grace my ceremony with their presence, most of them stayed practically for the whole day.
GIVE-BACK TO SOCIETY
Our focus is to make sure that something goes back to the society. Being into showbiz, we realized there was a setback in the industry. There are many talented artistes and entertainers who want to showcase their talent to the world and be appreciated but have no means or opportunity to do so due to numerous reasons.
The platform is what we have, so we can afford to collaborate with whoever comes our way for publicity and support. So far so good, we have helped a lot of people achieve their dreams by helping with album launches, movie premiere, and advice on management.
Hi. I’m a Web Developer and Graphics Designer, I enjoy blogging as part-time and I draw a lot when I’m free. Thanks for visiting my blog today and I hope you come back next time.
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