BigEyeUg‘s Derrick Luyombya had a brief chat with Pablo Bashir, the Chief Protocol Officer at NBS Television and here are the excerpts:
Briefly tell us about yourself?
My name is Pablo Bashir Ssewalu and I am the Chief Protocol Officer at NBS TV.
I come from a staunch Muslim family of five, where I am the second born. I was born on August 23rd to Mr Isa Mbazira and Mrs Ftuma Nalunkuma.
I attended school at Kakungulu Memorial School, Kibuli Senior Secondary School for O and A’level respectively, then joined International Islamic University (IUIU) for my Bachelor’s degree.
What is your Job description at NBS TV?
As Chief Protocol Officer, I bring in clients and guests for TV interviews. On top of that, I prepare the way for my Chief Executive Officer Dr Kin Kariisa. Whenever he is travelling, I go there first to make sure everything is in place.
For how long have you been working at NBS TV?
I have been at NBS for five years now. At first, I was in the Marketing and Sales department which was headed by Joe Kigozi before he left for BBS TV where I was charged with attending all events sponsored by NBS to make sure they were running well.
What is your normal every day like?
I wake up in the morning at 6am, say a prayer and then head to office after breakfast. I attend morning meetings which happen every day, strategize and look through the C.E.O’s program for the day. I don’t have specific time that I leave office because my bosses don’t reward time but effort.
Are you the only one who holds that post in the country?
I am not the only one but I think we are only three in the country; it’s me at NBS, at the office of the President, and the office of the IGP.
What are some of the challenges that come with your job?
Most of the times you cannot have a personal life. Many people have their own perceptions about me, the media always takes photos of me and publish negative stories in the tabloids.
What are some of the good things that come with your kind of Profession?
I always travel in and out of the country with the C.EO. He has helped me interact and meet with important people; some of them have since become my personal friends. I have met people like Gen. Kale Kayihura, Gen. Katumba Wamala, Pope Francis, Patrick Bitature and Charles Mbiire among others.
What else do you do apart from being Chief Protocol Officer at NBS?
I have my own business called Pablo Groceries, that’s what I used to do even before joining NBS. The company delivers groceries to people’s homes when they make an order.
What do you do in your free time?
I love going to the movies at Century Cinemax. My favourite all time movies are Spectre and Bring Him Home, I can watch these movies again and again with out getting bored.
We heard you wanted to leave NBS for BBS what happened?
I had to sit down and negotiate with my bosses and I decided that I should stay because they are the ones who groomed me into what I am today so I had to stay around.
