Enock Sikolia has set the record straight on why he left Royal Media Services-owned Citizen TV at the time when he career was at the peak.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sikolia denied claims of being fired, revealing that he tendered his resignation in July 2020.
“Sometime in July 2020, the Covid pandemic is here, many things were happening, there were a lot of lock down here and there. One morning I walk into the office of the human resource manager at Citizen TV holding a brown envelope and I tendered my resignation.
“The human resource manager looked at me and she was like why. She wondered why because truthfully I was at the best media house , I was enjoying my career, I was growing my career, I had the best managers in terms of news management talk of Linus Kaikai talk of Joe Ageyo, Pamela Asige, Jamilla Mohammed among others.
“One thing I wanted to address was some people said I was sacked. I am the one who tendered the resignation.” he shared.
According to him Citizen did not want to let him go, a move that saw him have second thoughts but he had already decided what wanted.
“Deep in my heart I had already made that decision. I remember we had several meetings with Joe Ageyo who was my boss, he was the editorial director at Citizen TV. We had so many things he really wanted me to remain, we had several upcoming documentaries, series,” Sikolia said.
He added that some people believed that leaving the media house would see his career crumble.
“But I know what I really wanted and I had to move,” he noted.
One of his colleagues and friends told him that once he left, the people he talks to including the Cabinet secretaries, PSs, politicians and CEOs would stop talking to him.
“I am telling you it is the truth, some of the politicians that I truly considered my friends, the ones that would call me at night if they had an issue, I was one of the people they considered bright in the journalism sector but shock on me when I left some of them stopped picking my calls even up to date but that is an issue that doesn’t bother me much,” he said.
“The biggest reason why I left sometime before covid became what it became I saw an advert on social media about Bright Vision company, the company that runs CGTN Africa I was like I want to experience international journalism, I had worked at NTV for 6 years, K24 for 4 months and Citizen for 2 years a combined experience of more than 8 years so I thought what would it be for me to report on matters affecting the continent and beyond Africa. When I saw the advert and applied I think because of covid they didn’t come in earlier. Sometime in May I received a call and here I was I did the interview. I was happy,” he explained.
Sikolia added that CGTN Africa gave him what he wanted and he couldn’t resist it,
On Why he left Citizen silently, Sikolia said, ” I left silently because that is me I don’t go shouting about myself on social media that much. I don’t go putting out everything that is happening on my life on social media. When I left K24 to NTV I didn’t announce anywhere, the same when I resigned from NTV in 2018 and left for Citizen TV, I even didn’t update my bio.”