Fellow Nigerians, the story you are about to read is a tale of my miraculous existence. It is my mini-biography as I try to paint a picture of how I left the ancient town of Ile-Ife and headed to Lagos, in search of greener pastures. My first love had always been teaching. How I love teachers. In those good old days, teachers were Lords, and I was surrounded by them. My older brother is a Professor. My older sister is a teacher. Her husband was my school Principal. I started teaching A-Level at the age of 22, in 1982, the very year I graduated from the University of Ife, with a first degree in Yoruba. Prior to that, I was a primary school teacher in a remote village, at the age of 16, after my secondary education. Life was much better then. During my post-graduate studies at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, from 1986-88, I did part-time teaching in the English Department, under what was known as General Studies, which was compulsory. I was very proud of my ability to transfer knowledge to younger ones.

My dream was to remain a teacher, till eternity, marry a teacher, and live happily thereafter. But fate played a fast one on me. As I concluded my Master’s degree in Literature-in-English, I tried everything humanly possible to get a teaching appointment but the military government had placed embargo on appointments and promotions in tertiary institutions. I was totally devastated. All my friends had jobs, most of them as lecturers on campus, but I was the only jobless one. At a stage, I became desperate. My unlettered mum had struggled to send me to school. How come I was finding it tough to get a job despite working assiduously on two degrees?

Journalism was never under consideration for me. I had tried to read Law after my first degree but that also didn’t fly for me. I applied but my application was declined. Had I been the superstitious type, I would have thought some witches and wizards were on my case. That was the mind-set in those days. But my best friend, Prince Damola Aderemi, turned out to be an oracle. He suggested I should be writing and making scholarly contributions to different publications. Why not, I soliloquised. I believe, I was born to write, and also to fly. Writing and flying have been my incurable addictions. I acquired my writing skills from reading widely and voraciously. I’m very greedy about books, I must confess.

So I started writing articles for the Sunday Tribune in Imalefalafia, Ibadan, and The Guardian newspapers at Rutam House, near Mafoluku/Oshodi and I was thrilled endlessly. Only The Guardian paid me a stipend of N25 per article. I would wait till the fourth publication before travelling from Ife to Lagos, to collect N100. Half bread was better than none. This actually became a smart move. The articles popularised and registered me for a future career in writing, journalism and public relations. My style was heavily influenced and customised by my background in Yoruba language and English Literature, an uncommon combination. My writings gave me some incredible visibility. I would soon get an invitation from my friend, Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, of blessed memory, to visit Lagos and seek a job from the African Guardian magazine, but the arrangement failed. Onukaba then suggested I should try the African Concord magazine, owned by Chief Moshood Abiola, and I was offered a job on the spot by one of Nigeria’s most cerebral editors, Lewis Obi. I resumed work on May 2, 1988. My life will never be the same again.

My immediate challenge was how to survive in a big city like Lagos. I had to squat with friends at different times and locations in Lagos. Let me leave the details for another day, in my main biography. Lagos was a different reality for me. I was pushed to work so much to make ends meet. I took advantage of writing for most of the eight titles under the Concord Press of Nigeria and was soon noticed and noted by my bosses, including Managing Director, Dr Doyinsola Abiola, and Chairman, Chief Moshood Abiola, who wondered how I managed to proliferate my by-lines in different newspapers published by them. Within months, I was transferred from African Concord to Weekend Concord as a pioneer staff under the Editorship of Mr Mike Awoyinfa and his deputy, Mr Dimgba Igwe (may God Rest his Soul eternally). My time at Weekend Concord was surreal. My writing blossomed as I wrote exclusive stories almost every Saturday. I was encouraged and compensated by my Editor with promotions galore. Under three months, I earned an unprecedented promotion, straight from Staff Writer to Literary Editor (jumping Senior Staff Writer). Within six months, thereafter, I had become News Editor, and number three in the hierarchy. However, six months later, I was poached by May Ellen Ezekiel, later Mrs MEE Mofe-Damijo (God bless her departed Soul forever) and was offered an irresistible package and a much bigger responsibility as Editor of Classique magazine. On May 2, 1990, I became the highest paid Editor in Nigeria, resuming duty on the eve of my 30th birthday, on May 16, 1990.

To whom much is given, much is expected. I knew the magnitude of the responsibilities placed on me. Many people felt I was too young and expected me to fail. My determination and prayer was to make sure such people waited in vain. I quadrupled my efforts. What was more, I maintained my old contacts, and added new ones to it. By 1991, I met the man I like to describe as the Spirit of Africa, an icon you hardly see but feel his presence always in your life. By the time I resigned from Classique, I was already a household name and my future path was well-cut out for me. By 1992, I was invited by Prince Nduka Obaigbena to be the pioneer Editor of Leaders & Company, which became the parent company for Thisday newspapers. I had the singular honour of recruiting and appointing some of the key staff of that newspaper. I’m so proud of my role in supporting what has become one of Africa’s biggest newspaper conglomerates today and the fact that I’m still writing for the paper till this day.
(to be continued).