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From Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
The Assistant Sales Manager of The Sun Newspapers in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Mr Najeem Soaga, is dead.
He passed away on Sunday evening at the age of 58 after a prolonged illness.
Soaga was, however, buried on Monday amid tears and tributes from colleagues, friends, family members, and stakeholders in the newspaper industry.
Speaking at the burial ceremony, the Chairman of the Newspaper Distributors Association of Nigeria (NDAN), Oyo State chapter, Mr Babatunde Abdul-Rashid Abimbola, described the late Soaga as a disciplined, religious, and highly committed professional who devoted his life to the newspaper business.
Abimbola said he had known the deceased for over 35 years, recounting their long journey together in the print media industry.
“He was a very good person, very religious, very hard-working and very pleasant. That’s one of the facts. We’ve been together for over 35 years. In this newspaper business, we worked together from Monitor Newspapers, Frontline Newspapers and eventually The Sun Newspapers. He remained with The Sun till the end of his life,” he said.
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Reflecting on the loss, Abimbola noted that death is inevitable and urged people to accept it as the will of God.
“His death is something that is natural. It is an inevitable end. Nobody is free from death. Whatever the cause, it is only God that truly knows. Death is death. May his soul rest in perfect peace,” he added.
Also speaking, the deceased’s only son, Soaga Olawapelumi Hammed, described his late father as a loving and caring man who was deeply cherished by everyone around him.
“He’s a very good person, a loving person. Everybody loves him. You can see the crowd here; everybody loves him,” he said, struggling to hold back tears.
The young Soaga revealed that his father had plans to support his return to school this year, a promise he is determined to keep, but expressed dismay over his painful loss.
“If I start talking, tears will start falling from my eyes. He was planning to send me back to school this year. Unfortunately, he’s no longer here. But I will still go back to school because I promised him I would,” he said.
