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Renowned journalist and Queen of Apomu Kingdom, Osun State, Olori Janet Afolabi has unveiled the Newswatch 5 lecture Series. An initiative of The Olori Janet Afolabi Foundation, OJAF, the inaugural event held on Thursday April 30 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja Lagos was a gathering to remember a great mind and pay deepest respects to some media icons who pioneered investigative newsmagazine under the military rule: Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, Yakubu Mohammed and Soji Akinrinade, who later became a Director. The event was also specifically to pay tribute to the life and legacy of the late Yakubu Mohammed.
Chief Tola Adeniyi, Chairman of the occasion in his remark, said Mohammed rebranded journalism in his own image. He noted that Mohammed did not find himself in journalism but walked into it, prepared and laboured for it.
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In her speech, Olori Afolabi, said when Dan Agbese, co-founder, Newswatch died last year, she reflected on her journalism career and remembered the people who shaped, taught, corrected, pushed, and believed in her even when she doubted herself. “These are the men who gave me a platform to soar. My former bosses are mentors, builders of men and custodian of journalism standards,” she said.
Ray Ekpu, the only surviving Newswatch co-founder, in his speech, described Mohammed as a Muslim who was not an extremist. “He was a decent, civilised and modern Muslim not infected by the bug of religious irredentism. He was a reporters’ reporter, a careful, thorough and methodical story teller. He went for facts, truth. He never bent the facts. He never bent the truth. And he capped his writing career by bringing out an autobiography titled ‘Beyond Expectations’ before he died. By writing a book about his life and legacy he added muscle to his career as a journalist and public intellectual,” Ekpu said of his friend and colleague.
There were reminiscence and tributes from other notables including former military president, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida; Professor Tayo Popoola, Head of Department, Mass Communication, University of Lagos; Professor Oloruntola Sunday, Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, University of Lagos; Mohammed Haruna, pioneer Editor of New Nigerian newspaper, as well as family, friends, colleagues and schoolmates. The event ended with a vote of thanks from Soji Akinrinade, who praised Olori Afolabi for organising the event and thanked everyone for attending the event.
The 200-capacity Ijakadi hall venue was filled with scores of media elders and dignitaries from all walks of life. Among those who attended were Oba Kayode Afolabi, the Alapomu of Apomu; His Majesty Professor Obalanlege, the Olota of Ota; Oba Sulaiman Adekunle Bamgbade, Adimula of Awori Kingdom; Nosa Igiebor, Editor in Chief of Tell Magazine; Dame Comfort Obi, Publisher of The Source Magazine; and Hon. Helen Emere of Imo House of Assembly among others.
