‘I Came With Something, Left With Nothing’: Suleiman Aledeh Quits Edo Broadcasting Service, Says Loyalty is Rewarded with Suspicion

Matilda Omonaiye/

Popular broadcaster and media executive, Suleiman Aledeh, has resigned from the Edo State Government, barely a day after he was redeployed from the Edo State Broadcasting Service (EBS).

Aledeh’s resignation came less than 24 hours after the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo announced his transfer from his position as Managing Director of EBS to the Edo State Orientation Agency, where he had been designated pioneer Director General.

While the government described the move as part of ongoing administrative restructuring aimed at strengthening state institutions, Aledeh’s subsequent resignation statement painted a markedly different picture, one that has resonated far beyond Edo State.

Without directly criticising the governor or naming any individual, the veteran broadcaster delivered what many observers interpreted as a stinging indictment of a system that often fails to reward commitment, competence and sacrifice.

“I came into a system with something. I left with nothing, because I poured everything I had into it,” he wrote.

The statement quickly gained traction online, not only because of Aledeh’s standing as one of Nigeria’s most recognisable broadcasters, but because it touched on a grievance familiar to many professionals across both the public and private sectors.

“Too often, those who build are discarded when the building is complete,” he said.

“Too often, loyalty is rewarded with suspicion, while mediocrity and opportunism find protection.”

Those words transformed what might have been viewed as a routine redeployment into a broader national conversation about whether excellence is genuinely valued within Nigerian institutions.

For many readers, Aledeh’s remarks echoed a recurring complaint among professionals who believe that competence and dedication are frequently subordinated to political calculations, patronage networks and internal power struggles.

The controversy stems from the contrast between the government’s glowing assessment of Aledeh’s performance and his decision to walk away entirely.

In announcing the redeployment, Secretary to the State Government, Umar Musa Ikhilor, praised Aledeh’s “considerable dedication to public service broadcasting and institutional development” and stated that the move reflected confidence in his ability to advance public communication and civic engagement in the state.

Yet Aledeh’s resignation has fuelled speculation that the transfer may have been viewed by him as something other than a promotion or vote of confidence.

Although he stopped short of making any direct allegations, his references to betrayal, misplaced loyalty and the protection of opportunists have intensified scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding his departure.

His remarks also tap into a deeper concern about the incentives that shape behaviour within public institutions.

By suggesting that honest labour often goes unrewarded, Aledeh raised a question that extends well beyond Edo State: what message is sent to public servants when dedication appears to carry little guarantee of recognition or security?

Critics of governance failures in Nigeria have long argued that the country’s struggle to retain talented professionals is partly rooted in institutional cultures that fail to reward performance.

Supporters of that view point to recurring cases where experienced technocrats and reform-minded officials leave public service disillusioned despite positive records.

Aledeh’s resignation has now become the latest example cited in that debate.

Yet even as he reflected on disappointment and perceived betrayal, the broadcaster sought to frame his departure not as an ending but as a turning point.

Describing his current position as “Ground Zero”, he said the experience had left him wiser and stronger, adding that he intended to rebuild and begin a new chapter.