By Chido Nwakanma

In four decades of analysing and commenting on the Nigerian condition, Sonala Olumhense has earned a place in the pantheon of the great columnists of Nigeria. His Sonala Olumhense Syndicated (SOS) is one of the first columns to make syndication across three platforms. He is a columnist of impact and significance.

Sonala regularly sends an SOS to Nigeria. His columns are foresighted and speak with clarity on issues. He brings the courage to speak his mind based on the available facts, to conclude and, where he is wrong, the ethical bravery to accept responsibility and make amends.

Starting from The Punch, EssOh was one of the pioneers whose presence gave The Guardian its heavy bang as it landed. He was Editorial Page Editor, a new title in Nigerian journalism then. He did the job with characteristic elan and allowed many young men to showcase their talents publishing alongside the many men of multiple titles whose articles the newspaper ran.

I am proud and privileged to call Sonala my friend, mentor and boss. He extended his friendship and fellowship to me during two internships at The Guardian. My byline was regular, sometimes up to three in a day, and EssOh sought me out with encouraging words. His residence at Beesam, Mafoluku and later Opebi was a place for young people to take refuge, shoot the breeze and aspire.

Style is one aspect that makes SOS stand out. He writes with felicity and a literary style that plays on words like an excellent dribbler doing exciting things with the football. He is a Maradona of words. Sonala is the master of the double entendre, infusing his copy with word brilliance such as Promises of deliverance and the non-delivery of promises.

I followed Sonala to ThisWeek and then to City Tempo. An autographed copy of his novel, No Second Chance, is a treasure. We did exciting work at ThisWeek with Sonala Olumhense an able and committed team leader.

I captured part of this in “ThisWeek and its entertainment strength”, a chapter in the work edited by Lanre Idowu and Eniola Bello (2020), Entertainment Media: Redefining Reality, Situating Entrepreneurship.

It read: “Its columnists clarified the issues of the day and took forthright positions, often against the leaders of the day. They interrogated policies and pronouncements. They included the editor, Sonala Olumhense, Tunji Lardner, Lanre Idowu, and Pini Jason. Soon, its pages became what UNESCO describes as a “forum for debate and discussion” with many external contributors ventilating their opinions. They included Dr Chichi Ashwe, Jonathan Ishaku, Dr Imonitie Imoisili, and Abba Dabo, among others.

“ThisWeek had the courage to run stories that touched raw nerves. It exposed the scandalous divorce of a then-sitting governor and naval officer. It explored the matter of the mystery of Glory Okon, the changing sexual mores and the pursuit of imaginary Robin Hood armed robber Lawrence Anini. Its story on the riots in Kaduna that forced then-President Ibrahim Babaginda to return from a foreign trip drew the ire of the Islamists. It was one of the first signs of growing Islamic fundamentalism that would manifest fully a few years down the line.”

Fearless. Yet passionate and committed to the best of Nigeria. Conscientious and determined, Sonala Olumhense is one of the principled journalists of our time. Not for him the many compromises of the day.

EssOh requests only that I “Kindly remember me in your Rosary on Friday, or at Mass this weekend” for his 65th birthday today. Please join me to pray for many more years of continued service and relevance to the nation by the columnist extraordinaire, author, and editor of editors Sonala Olumhense.