By
Coker Onita
The word “uncommon” has been abused and bastardized in our clime. lt has simply petered into the realm of absurdity. So much so that you hardly earn any public adulation or respect when one is referred to as uncommon leader, uncommon governor, uncommon senator, minister, etc.
Take for example a man who referred to himself as “uncommon governor” who just built an hospital. in his state capital. He celebrated it to high heavens, saying none of its type ever existed in any part of Nigeria. Few weeks after the funfair, he had a minor auto accident in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital. Before we could open our eyes, he was already on his way to the international airport, ready to be flown abroad for medical treatment. What a shame!!
Here was somebody boasting he had completed a second-to-none world class, well equipped hospital in his State that could not offer him ordinary first aid treatment.
Such is the paradox of our being, many describing themselves as uncommon when no iota of uncommonality exists in them. They hardly can think outside the box, but reverently soak themselves in propaganda!!
Mr. Dele Giwa was 39 when he breathed his last on October 19, 1986. To people who knew him, he was one person that could safely be described as “uncommon Editor”. A brilliant, fearless professional with nose for news, very creative, ebullient, expansively sociable and kind. Incidentally this year marks the 39th year of his painful exit. In essence, he would have been 78 this year. He was gruesomely murdered in his lkeja home via a letter bomb sent to him by hired assassins. His soul still cries for justice. What a pity!!
Our paths crossed early in 1979 when he was hired from USA as Features Editor by Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, then managing director of Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN). I was then a Staff Writer in the Features Department of DTN. So, he met my humble self, Richard lkiebe, Amma Ogan, Banji Adeyanju, Sereba Agiobu Kemmer Jide Oshikomaiya, Lewis Obi (our sub editor) and a few others in the Kakawa office of DTN.
Just before he joined, Mr. Livinus Okereafor resigned as Features Editor and one Mr. Okeke Ndukuba became acting editor. As soon as Dele started settling down it was not unusual for him to bring us books on several aspects of journalism. l recall without difficulty a meeting he held with me, urging that l should write two or more investigative stories per week and he would publish them.
Kpaga! That sounded strange. Writers in Features Department were used to writing stories and having them kept on the editor’s table for weeks. What a challenge to young writers who were eager to make their modest marks.
on the sands of time. “Give me two or more stories per week and l will publish them because I’m also going to write,” he enthused.
And that was the tonic the young writers needed to turn on their creative energies. PAGE SEVEN, the features page quickly became a popular and most compelling read for our readers and admirers alike. Six or so months down the road, writers in Features Department had become instant celebrities. So, as Dele grew in starture and popularity because of his weekly columns, so also were the writers. One day, he called to inform that a professor from University of lbadan had written a rejoinder, describing me as one of the best writers in Nigeria. “You have to keep it up,” he quipped with relish. The rejoinder was eventually published.
One hot afternoon, l had joined my colleagues to have a small drink around our Kakawa premises only to be told that Dele was looking for me. l rushed up the stairs and was about to enter Dele’s office when he emerged, saying: “Coker, I’m just from MD’s office. l went to show him your copy. This is fantastic,” still waving the copy in his hand. That was the ‘sterner stuff” Dele Giwa was made, always looking for the good of his staffers and subordinates.
Towards the last quarter of 1979, Dele did a memo to the Editor of the newspaper, Mr. Tony Momoh, making a case for writers to begin a nation’s editorial coverage of Nigeria. To him, his staffers were “doing Lagos to death”. By this he meant that our stories were unduly concentrated on Lagos and it’s environs. The memo was approved. but was implemented after his exit from DTN. By January,1980, l proceeded to Borno state in the North East while Richard lkiebe proceeded to North West. Others were dispatched to other parts of the country. l recall the tour took me to Borno, Gongola, now Adamawa, Bauchi and Plateau States before returning to Lagos.lt was a great time for writers who made dispatches from all locations around Nigeria.
At the early part of 1980, Dele had been hired by Chief Moshood Abiola for his newspaper project. As usual, he invited me into his office and informed me of his decision. He tried to persuade me to come along and together with others, we could run “a good paper”. Dele left to become the founding editor of Sunday Concord. Even though many of us In Features Department did not join him, he never left me alone, monitoring my progress. Only Lewis Obi and our messenger left with him.
Two Saturdays before he died, we still met to discuss the possibility of joining his magazine, Newswatch. It’s worthy of note that our last meeting was held in the same office where a parcel bomb was delivered to him two weeks later.
Even though Dele became a sting piercing the heart of the military through his writings, no one is left in doubt about his robust and indelible contributions to growth of modern Nigerian journalism. The wicked did their worst, robbing Nigeria of his creative intellect and deep analysis of issues in Nigeria’s socio-political firmament.
May his gentle soul continue to find peace in the Lord’s Bosom.
Amen.
***
Mr. Coker Onita, former Editor, SPEAR Magazine, Pubisher/Chief Executive of Today’s Choice Magazine and former Editorial Consultant, lndependent Newspapers Limited.
