Gbenga Adeshina at 50 Why I would rather die as a journalist

The secret is that I cut my coat according to my size. I am not a dietician but I eat very well. I have never taken a cigarette; I’ve never taken even a glass of beer. I had a very strict upbringing and I think this propelled me not to go into this vices. My […]

The secret is that I cut my coat according to my size. I am not a dietician but I eat very well. I have never taken a cigarette; I’ve never taken even a glass of beer. I had a very strict upbringing and I think this propelled me not to go into this vices. My brother, who is the chairman of the company now, Alhaji Adebo Adeshina with whom I grew up was so strict that I dared not play ball or go out excessively. So when I grew up, it was difficult to start the things I was not used to. The interesting thing to note was that the last time I was to travel out, I was going to Canada and my system was checked, they said I am too clean and so happy that they had to reduce my happiness. I think that’s just the secret.

You have been in journalism for how long now?

Ah! Solong. I graduated from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Political Science 1986 and served in ’87 in the then Bendel State. Shortly after that, I joined the old Daily Times as a Lineage correspondent, because they would try you before you start. I was on line for a year. Then in 1989 I was employed as a senior correspondent to cover politics and I was there all through till ’91 when I left to set up my public relations outfit in Lagos.

You had a stint in politics when you left journalism for a political appointment. Now the assumption is that you might have made lots of money. So why are you now back in journalism?

My call into government is a political appointment but I wasn’t a politician. I had the opportunity to work in the State House under the late amiable Dr Stanley Makebu, the prolific writer and erudite scholar. So I was opportuned to serve with him as a personal assistant. He was our boss in journalism and working with such a man, any journalist given such an opportunity would jump at it, otherwise, I didn’t think I was ready to leave journalism. So we were there for about four, five years packaging the government, most times we were on screen defending government policies and most of the policies we defended were defendable, under Obasanjo. So while I was there, I was longing to be in my core profession and even while I was in government, I was having this award for journalists, the Distinguished Journalists Award. While I was in the Villa, it was not a money-making thing because we were professionals doing our thing. But I was missing my profession so I left and went back to core journalism.

Have you had any nasty experience working as a journalist?

As I mark my 50th year on earth, one sad moment I’ve had was the day I was attacked on the course of my duty as publisher of the Distinguished Nigerian about three years ago. We were travelling by road to Port Harcourt to investigate a story and I ran into a group of armed robbers who had just robbed a bank in Ayengba. They were coming in a convoy of vehicles and they blocked me and shot me here [in the leg]. In fact, it was a terrible experience. About eight people were attacked and seven were killed. I was the only one left. This seemed to me like God’s intervention. God was keeping me to mark these 50 years.

Did that experience not put you off journalism?

After shooting me, on the second day, I was on the sick bed and I was writing my story. We didn’t miss that edition.

What drives you that much?

It is the passion for the profession and when I was in ABU we were used to didactic analyses so I was used to writing and when I came out, I just kept going.

There must have been an outstanding moment for you as a journalist. What was it?

Actually, the moments are two. There was  the day we conducted an interview. I was deputy political editor then. Segun Ayobolu was the political editor, he is now special adviser to Governor Fashola [of Lagos] we conducted an interview with the two helmsmen of the then National republican Convention (NRC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the two interviews won us an award. That was my first moment.

The second was when I came out to launch my magazine and became a publisher and for three years, the magazine has been doing very well. We just got our distribution vehicles and we are going places. Now, we have offices in Lagos, Kwara and Abuja. Those were my happiest moments in the profession.

Now that you have mentioned your magazine, let’s talk about that. Why did you choose to call it the Distinguished Nigerian?

While I am in journalism I met young, courageous journalists and the older ones who had inspired us and I decided to fashion out an award for journalists and we called it the Distinguished Journalist Award. That was over 15 years ago. After the third edition, some people now said, well, you call this a Distinguished Journalist Award, why don’t you broaden it and make it the Distinguished Nigerian Award. So we did and then the last award before the magazine came out, the committee members said why don’t you have an in-house magazine to package the award. So we brought out the magazine and it became a hot sell. So we registered the name and started selling nationwide.

Now, that you have clocked half a century on earth what plans for the future? Are you going to take your foot off the pedal or are you going into something else?

There is not much money in journalism but the society should not take us for granted. We go to the same market with the senators, the ministers and everyone else. That’s why I support the bill about to be passed to improve the welfare of journalists. Even we as publishers there isn’t enough money to publish enough copies and when you bring out advert rates people are not ready to pay, they start negotiating. These are some of the problems we have in journalism. But I don’t want to leave. I want to live and die in journalism but I hope I won’t die in penury. I have children and we all have needs too. My colleagues are now senators, some are local government chairmen. I could go to my local government and they would elect me but I chose to stay here. I was offered appointment as a commissioner, I turned it down because I love my profession. I think I can make it. I am not rich but I am living comfortably. I want to tell the young ones please don’t leave journalism.