By Akinjide Akintola
In 1988, Navy Captain Mohammed Alabi Lawal(Now late) resumed in Abeokuta as Ogun State governor following his appointment by General Ibrahim Babangida, self styled Military President of Nigeria.
At that point in time I was into my two years as Ogun State Correspondent of the African Newspapers of Nigeria, publishers of the Tribune titles.
Almost right from the onset, he had issues with me as he felt that the press corps in the state should publish only positive stories about him and his government.
Of course, there were quite a number of government newspapers at that time that were doing his biddings. These included then the Sketch Press, New Nigerian Newspapers, the Herald Newspapers and Daily Times most of which are moribund now.
Now, there was an innocuous piece which I wrote on the civil service in the state, complaining about payment of salaries and allowances and that they were being short changed by the state government.
It was about three or four paragraphs and tucked inside the papers I think on a Friday.
I learnt that the Governor did not like it one bit.
The following week, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, big brother, Kunle Odufuwa, called me that the Governor wanted to see me. He didn’t tell me what for.
Because of the nature of the story, little in my eyes, I did not link it to my summon by the Governor. I went straightaway to Oke Mosan, which was quite some distance from our *Fleet Street office* in Ijemo.
Felix Adenaike
When I arrived, I was expecting to be kept waiting as the then Governor was notorious for keeping people waiting for hours before they see him.
There was the popular story of a sitting Chief Judge of the state, whom he kept waiting for several hours while many others were allowed in.
But to my surprise, immediately I got there, I was ushered into the office of the ADC who took me straight to see the Governor.
The Governor wasted no time and instead went straightaway to the story as a copy of the Nigerian Tribune containing the ‘offensive’ publication was on his table, opened to the page.
He asked pointblank whether I wrote the story as there was no byline. I answered in the affirmative and he wanted to know how I got the story which I declined. He was not happy about this however.
We didn’t part on a friendly note that day.
But I kept doing my job the way I thought fit: writing my stories whether it is tagged positive or negative.
Not quite long after this encounter, The Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) slated a conference in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital with Governor Lawal as Chief Guest of Honour.
Chief Osoba, as Managing Director of Daily Times of Nigeria then was NPAN President. My boss, Mr Felix Adenaike, was the Editor-In-Chief of the Tribune were all in Abeokuta. The occasion, coincided with the opening of a golf course which the media gurus were invited to tour.
It was there that the media proprietors sent words to me to meet them.
That was the first time I was meeting Chief Osoba one-on-one. I was just two years in the world of journalism and I’ve heard and read a lot about him since his days in the Herald and Sketch, newspapers he had headed at different times.
To me then, he was a sort of media giant, and he awed me and I was so much elated to be in his presence.
He was the one that spoke. He said Governor Lawal complained about my writing negative stories about him and his government and demanded that I be sacked by my employers, The Tribune titles.
Chief Osoba was very businesslike saying he was happy about it as it proved that I was doing my Work perfectly for the governor to single me out for sack on account of my work.
Short of commending me, he asked me to continue with my work as no responsible newspaper would sack a reporter on such reasons. Speaking further, and with the cooperation of Mr Adenaike, he added that I would not even be transferred from the state on account of the governor’s complaint.
Since then, I’ve had a really cordial relationship with Chief Osoba culminating in his election as Ogun State Governor in1991.
When he assumed office as governor, he also had a taste of my ‘controversial’ stories, but he never complained. Only one time did he told me personally in the presence of my colleagues: ‘Akinjide, dundu e ti nlata ju’.
And that was all. He never mentioned it again.
Perhaps I should mention another incident during the campaigns when he really surprised me as a great reporter who had been there. It was during the primary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abeokuta South Local Government.
Chief Osoba was a leading governorship aspirant of the party. The primary was holding in a school at Ake, and there were some disturbances. This led to the Volkswagen beetle car of Chief Olusegun Taiwo, (now late) Chairman of the Local Government chapter being vandalised following alleged malpractices.
The Nigerian Tribune used the story with the photographs of the car. It was an exclusive story.
Chief Taiwo protested to Chief Osoba that I shouldn’t have used the story because it involved Chief Osobas SDP, but Chief Osoba stood by me saying it was a good story for any reporter worth his salt.
I salute a worthy crack reporter and media giant as he clocks 86 years.
May your days be long.
May you live long enough for those of us coming behind you to continue to drink from your wealth of experience.
You are a light and a path for us.
Congratulations sir.
