NEW YORK — Prof. MarkAnthony Nze, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of People & Polity Incorporated, has marked the eighth anniversary of the media platform with a powerful and emotional account of its difficult beginnings, the sacrifices behind its survival, and the loyalty of a small circle of individuals he says made its rise possible.
Prof. Nze made this known via his verified Facebook handle during the wee hours of Friday morning, in a statement that read like both a testimony and a tribute — one that laid bare the unseen cost of building an independent media institution rooted in conviction, truth, and journalistic integrity.
According to him, People & Polity was conceived in April 2018 and fully took off in November 2018, beginning as a fragile but ambitious vision in a media environment where independence often comes at a steep price. Eight years later, the platform has grown into a globally respected brand whose work, he said, is read by influential figures and enters “the corridors of power.”
But behind that growth story, Prof. Nze revealed, lies a far more difficult reality.
For most of its existence, he said, the platform operated with little financial support, hardly making money and surviving almost entirely without advertisements. He noted that while the brand had a short-lived period with AdSense, it lasted for less than six months, and that premium subscriptions only began recently. In effect, he suggested, the platform has spent the greater part of its life running more on belief than on commercial strength.
Even in those difficult periods, however, he stressed that he never abandoned his obligations to those who worked with him.
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“There were times salaries were delayed,” the statement said in substance, “but they were always paid.”
He disclosed that in many of those moments, his wife, Somachi, stood beside him as a quiet but steady pillar, helping him raise the funds needed to keep faith with workers and sustain the vision when revenue was weak or absent. Her support, he indicated, became one of the hidden strengths behind the media house’s endurance.
Still, the most prominent tribute in the statement was reserved for Mr. Melvin Ikenna Ejiogu, whom Prof. Nze described as one of the most consequential figures in the story of People & Polity.
Photograph taken in Manhattan, New York, 2018, featuring both gentlemen holding copies of Prof. MarkAnthony Nze autographed books.
“The story of People & Polity can never be complete without him,” he declared.
According to Prof. Nze, Ejiogu believed in his potential and in the journalism vision long before the brand became what it is today. He said Ejiogu encouraged him at a critical stage, supported him technically, opened room for him to grow, and at certain points also helped financially. More than a supporter, the tribute painted Ejiogu as one of the foundational forces behind the platform’s rise.
Prof. Nze recalled a memorable encounter in a Jewish restaurant in Manhattan, with Shamma Melody present, where he first presented the media vision to Ejiogu. He said Ejiogu immediately encouraged him to move forward, embraced the idea, and even bought food and drinks as they discussed what would later become a major media brand. That moment, he suggested, became an emotional turning point — one of those rare instances when a dream is strengthened simply because someone else sees its future before the world does.
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He further credited Ejiogu with introducing Mahim, a tech expert whose guidance later proved valuable to the development of the platform. He also disclosed that the weekly news roundup, now one of the recognizable features of the brand, was Ejiogu’s idea, while the distinctive headline culture that drives the platform’s daily output also bears his imprint.
Beyond Ejiogu and Somachi, Prof. Nze also acknowledged the role of his friend, Odumodu Gbulagu, whom he praised for fighting alongside him and writing with boldness in support of the mission. Taken together, the statement presented the story of People & Polity not as a solitary triumph, but as the result of shared sacrifice, belief, and uncommon loyalty.
Yet the anniversary reflection was not only about gratitude. It was also about cost.
Prof. Nze disclosed that the pursuit of uncompromising journalism has exposed him to repeated scrutiny and danger. He said he had been profiled several times by intelligence units of the Nigerian government, placed on watchlists, threatened, and made to feel that the safety of his family was at stake because of his insistence on truth-telling. The statement offered a sobering reminder of the risks that still accompany independent journalism when it refuses to soften facts or bow to political convenience.
Despite those pressures, he said the work never stopped.
For eight years, Prof. Nze noted, he has invested more than 12 hours daily into building and sustaining the brand, maintaining a consistency that ensured the headlines kept coming without interruption. That discipline, he suggested, is central to the credibility and respect the platform now commands.
In one of the most emotional parts of the statement, the veteran media figure reflected on the human tensions that shaped the journey. He acknowledged that while many stood by him faithfully, others offended, disappointed, or betrayed him along the way. But rather than close the anniversary message with bitterness, he chose reconciliation. He extended forgiveness to those who hurt him, withdrew past anger, and reopened the door to future collaboration.
That note of grace gave the statement an emotional depth rarely seen in anniversary declarations, transforming it from a routine institutional message into a meditation on struggle, survival, loyalty, and healing.
To underscore his gratitude, Prof. Nze announced that Melvin Ejiogu’s portrait will be placed prominently on the flagship headlines for three straight days, in honor of the role he played in helping bring People & Polity into being.
The statement is already being viewed by observers as more than a commemoration of years. It is also a rare inside account of what it takes to build a principled media brand without deep pockets, without guaranteed comfort, and without surrendering editorial courage.
At a time when much of the media industry is under pressure from shrinking trust, political caution, and commercial compromise, Prof. Nze’s reflection presents People & Polity as a platform that has chosen a harder road — one defined by blunt reporting, expository journalism, and advocacy for the oppressed, the vulnerable, and those often ignored by more powerful institutions.
Eight years after its conception, the message from its founder is clear: People & Polity did not survive because the conditions were easy. It survived because faith held, sacrifice endured, and a few loyal hands refused to let the vision die.
For many readers, that may be the real story of the anniversary.
Not just that the platform is eight years old.
But that it is still standing — and standing with purpose.
The full message, as shared by Prof. MarkAnthony Nze via his verified Facebook handle in the early hours of Friday, can be read on his Facebook page @MarkAnthony Nze