Last Saturday, friends and colleagues converged on the The Journalism Clinic in Surulere, Lagos Mainland, to celebrate the life and times of Dr Adinoyi-Ojo Onukaba, journalist, author, thespian and poet, who died on March 5. They recounted the memorable times they had shared together. Evelyn Osagie reports.

It was not the kind of end they envisaged for him. One could see it from their look. Death has struck again, taking away their friend, Dr Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, former Managing Director of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc.
Adinoyi-Ojo was killed on March 5, four days to his 57th birthday, while trying to escape a robbery attack at a village near Akure, the Ondo State capital.
He was on his way back to Abuja from Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, where he attended the inauguration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. He was buried penultimate Monday at his ancestral home Oboroke-Ihima in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
His life was full of excitement and purpose. His colleagues gathered to reflect on the happy moments they shared and to pay him last respect.
It was an evening of reminiscences, readings and performances, convened by his friend, Taiwo Obe. His long-time friends in the media and other worlds were at The Journalism Clinic on Surulere, Lagos Mainland venue of the event in their numbers. They praised his sense of duty and professionalism.
The late Adinoyi-Ojo obtained his first degree in 1982 in Theatre Arts from the University of Ibadan (UI) and joined The Guardian as one of its pioneer reporters in 1983. He rose to News Editor before travelling abroad in 1989 for graduate studies. He became the Managing Director of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc in 1999. The late Adinoyi-Ojo was a Senior Special Assistant on Media to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Publication Lanre Idowu described the late Adinoyi-Ojo as “that aviation reporter who brought out wonderful stories that made the news pages of The Guardian very interesting”.
To Idowu, Adinoyi-Ojo was a true professional who believed in standard. “It is painful. But the lesson is that it is not how long but how well. Let’s keep his memory alive. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Managing Director, Bayo Onanuga, said the late Adinoyi-Ojo was one of those few seasoned journalists who wrote well and made the sub-editor’s day. He said: “He was not part of the cartel at the airport, that was how he sprang up. That was why he was the only one who got the scoops, like the ‘53 suitcases’. I called his number and somebody picked and narrated how it happened. His death was very tragic and very dramatic. I pray that God will protect him and put him in paradise.”
A friend, Seun Sonoiki, said the late Adinoyi-Ojo’s life “was full of drama”. He noted that it is difficult to think of him in the past tense. He said: “Physically, he won’t be with us again but he is ever with us in our hearts. I call him a ‘fountain of inspiration’. The same words I used for Taiwo because I have known the two of them since the 80s. As a young man, Onukaba was already the one who could break a mountain that Obasanjo was in the whole of Africa then. And he was the one who was able to get across to anybody no matter how tough they were at his airport beat for The Guardian. He was not just another young man under 25, but one that was empowering those of us who were around at that same age to reach for the skies.
“And it was the reason I chose to be Onukaba’s friend. And I am forever grateful that I knew him. I loved him and he accepted me as a friend and a brother. And we learnt from each other. And his life enriched mine. And I am sure wherever he is he would be happy to see this gathering convened in his honour: happy that he made his mark while he was with us. And wherever he is I am sure he is representing us very well. So, I say ‘Fare thee well my brother. God bless your soul!”
A trust fund which will be named after the late Adinoyi-Ojo to cater for his children’s education and welfare is in the works, it was learnt. It is being coordinated by the late Adinoyi-Ojo’s friends, Obe and Sonala Olumhense. “When opened, it would be named ‘Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo Memorial Trust Fund”, Obe, the event’s convener, said.
He recounted how the late Adinoyi-Ojo became Obasanjo’s friend. He said: “The airport was one of the beats that lots of journalists swam to because that was where you can get the story and other things like ‘brown envelope’. It was only Onukaba who would go to Obasanjo when others wouldn’t. And Onukaba dressed well as a reporter.
“Whenever he approached him for an interview, Obasanjo would decline, saying: ‘I am a farmer. I don’t talk to the press’ and not say any other thing. Onukaba would come to the newsroom and write it; and Lad Bone would put it on front page. And it went on like that; then one day, he invited him to his farm. Onukaba was persistent; he never chased after ‘brown envelope’. And that was why Obasanjo believed in him.”
A former Director at Taijo Wonukabe Limited, Chido Nwakanma, recollected: “I met Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo then Shaibu Ojo on July 1, 1983. It was a Friday. The Guardian was to go daily on July 4. Fred Ohwahwa and I had come as undergraduates who were seeking an internship. Shaibu was already a graduate, looking for full-time job. We became very close, Onukaba was extremely friendly.
“He would reach out to you and help. I remember when we started Taijo Wonukabe, we talked about books and he sent a number of them from America. That morning I just saw a quote on a WhatsApp page and called Taiwo to confirm. The news came like a bolt. Maybe the drama of life continued with Onukaba till the very end. He likes to make a great entry and he has made a sudden exit. We wish him well.”
Some friends like the Executive Editor, The News, Kunle Ajibade and Toyin Akinosho read the late Adinoyi-Ojo’s articles and creative works. Gani Kayode, formerly of The Punch, read the translated song by Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister on death, entitled: Ajara Iku, which when translated means Ode to Death. This reporter, known on stage as Evelyn D’Poet, performed a tribute poem in his honour.
Also at the event were the Editor of The Nation, Gbenga Omotoso; pioneer Photo Editor of The Guardian Express and ace photographer, Sunmi Smart-Cole; the General Manager, External Relations NLNG, Kudo Eresia-Eke; Special Adviser, Communications to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Hakeem Bello, who represented the Minister at the event; renowned photographer Tam Fiofori; Obe’s wife, Yemisi; Dele Agekameh, Ayo Asagba; Dotun Adekanbi; Mrs Bunmi Akinkugbe; Gbile Oshadipe; Bode Modupe and Temitope Lakisokun.