Dimgba Igwe, goodnight (lI)

That was the beginning of a relationship which I have cherished ever since. I have benefitted from the critical attributes and qualities of the man behind the instant professional and material success of The sun Newspaper, which, within five years of its establishment, began to break even and gained massive national circulation. What endeared me […]

That was the beginning of a relationship which I have cherished ever since. I have benefitted from the critical attributes and qualities of the man behind the instant professional and material success of The sun Newspaper, which, within five years of its establishment, began to break even and gained massive national circulation.
What endeared me mostly to him was his profound simplicity and disarming humility behind a steely determination and clear-headed-ness that characterize his managerial success. This is besides the deftness of his craft, palpable foresight and depth of experience in the profession. I had enjoyed a whole year of close association with Dimgba in the period I had spent as an Editorial Consultant in The Sun in 2004. While looking forward to the Editorial Meetings, the greatest moments I had in The Sun were the post-editorial discussions that I had every Wednesday of that year in Dimgba’s office reflecting, not just on the success plans and strategies of the newspaper on the troublous times the profession was going through and his personal proposals to deploy The Sun as a model to redress the teething problems of the media, with particular reference to the print media but the problems of development in a potentially great nations like Nigeria. His depth of knowledge of the dysfunctional leadership that cripple the nation, the details of the operational personages that run the country and the options for the rescue of the nation. Looking at those discussions, hindsight, how very clairvoyant and visionary Dimgba had been!
I have found Dimgba from those quarters of discourse, a man of great foresight and a dyed-in-the-wool journalist who would spare no effort (and funds) to get a quality press for The Sun. There was nothing I required from him to carry out the assignment before me that he did not make available. I had wondered why he was able to do this without clearance from his boss, Mike Awoyinfa until I got closer to find that nothing transpired under ostensible virtual management that was not previously cleared by his soul- mate, Mike with whom he shared a genuine love relation that was comparable, in most material particular, with the David-Jonathan affection scale. It is in fact difficult to contemplate the completeness of existence of one without the other—in visional, professional, entrepreneurial categories. This is not only in relation to their success stories in newspapering from Weekend Concord to The Sun, but the compulsive industry and propensity they shared in fulfilling their vision of transmuting the art of reporting, investigative journalism, in-depth research to great ideas in books, personage- branding and image-making for the press and for society. This, it appears to me, is a major vision—to tell the story of those who have impacted positively on society—in journalism, in business, in politics and other human exploits, show-casing them to inspire society and those who aspire  for greater heights in Nigeria and the world beyond. All of the books that they (Mike and Dimgba) have written together or individually, with inter-personal inspiration have been driven by this shared vision—The Art of Features Writing, 50 Nigeria’s Corporate Strategies, Nigeria’s Marketing Memoirs, Writing Successful Articles,Segun Osoba: The Newspaper Years, and the many others in the pipe-line, are motivated by their commitment to establishing the developmental powers of the media—the inter-textual lnkage between journalism and development, be it economics, business, biography and so on.
Twice, I received the baffling symbol of recognition and respect from Dimgba alone and from both Dimgba and Mike. I was splendidly taken aback when, early in our Wednesdays informal discussions, he thrust the final manuscript of his first, single-authored book, on my laps. In his soft but unmistakably firm voice, he said unforgettably, ‘sir, I don’t know what this scribbling is worth, but I will feel greatly honoured if you would write a Foreword to it.’ I did not believe that I heard him right and I asked him to come again. And he retorted; ‘that is if you find the manuscript worth your signature.’ Well. I wondered, like Balotelli: why me? It is an honour I have continued to cherish and to savour. Then came the invitation, again, quite casually by Mike and Dimgba that I grant them an interview on the book they were writing on the veteran journalist and former Governor of Ogun State, Aremu Olusegun Osoba, especially from the angle of his Ilorin years as General Manager of The Herald. That was the first time I got referred to, in my over three decades of writing for newspapers that I got referred to as a Media Academic.
In saying these, I reveal the depth of my respect and appreciation of this media revolutionary, experimentalist and humane print media inimitable professional, who was cut down like all valued trees that never last in the forest, Pastor Dimgba Igwe. It is meet that the Lagos State Government will now tar that road through which most cruel death claimed Dimgba’s life. Nigeria has lost a priceless professional. I have lost a greatly admired, worthy friend. Adieu, Dimgba.        
Concluded.