Hir Joseph: Remembering a misunderstood brother
On Friday, January 27, 2017 Hir Joseph breezed into my office in his normal brisk steps with his backpack and said, ‘Hajiya Lami, I’m off.’ But as he turned to leave, I stopped him and he turned around and approached my desk. I asked when he was returning and he said he would be back […]
On Friday, January 27, 2017 Hir Joseph breezed into my office in his normal brisk steps with his backpack and said, ‘Hajiya Lami, I’m off.’
But as he turned to leave, I stopped him and he turned around and approached my desk. I asked when he was returning and he said he would be back on Wednesday. It didn’t sound odd because we all knew that he wanted to use his visit to Makurdi to not only be with his family but also see his doctor to run some tests. He told me he would be done and return to Jos by Wednesday and I told him not to disappoint me since I hadn’t travelled home in three weeks, and needed to visit Kaduna the following weekend. Joseph assured me he would return to Jos in time to hold the fort, but soon after he left, Susan Pam, our Office Assistant, rushed in to say that he had forgotten his blue jacket and asked if I could call him to return for it. I asked her to keep it in the office cabinet since he was to return in five days, but he never did.
Since his death on March 10, 2017 all I’ve thought of was that Hir Joseph was misunderstood by many people, especially those in power. He knew it and sometimes enjoyed it as he never did anything to change that perception. I once challenged him to show more of his ‘kinder self’ but he smiled and said; ‘Hajiya Lami, this is me, those close to me understand me,” and with an unyielding face, he hit the table and stressed; “Allah, I’m not changing for anybody, those who feel the need to get angry because I tell them the truth will have to live with it.”
Even I had once misunderstood Hir Joseph in the past. I had maintained a safe distance from him before the management of Daily Trust transferred him from Lafiya to Jos as Bureau Chief. Prior to his transfer, we had often heard stories of how he was attacked and beaten in Benue State and then came the horrific incident in Nasarawa State during Governor Tanko Almakura’s second term inauguration when he was attacked by some thugs. I had called him to commiserate with him a day after the incident and it was about the third time I was communicating with him, the first being in 2014 when he was arrested by the police in Lafiya for writing a story that suggested that some police officers had joined a protest to demand the rescue of the Chibok girls while the second was in 2015 when then APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, came to Jos for a rally. Buhari and his entourage were to move to Lafiya from Jos the same day but in the evening, they were still in Jos, so Joseph called to find out if Buhari had left but we ended up discussing about the mild drama that took place at the Jos Township Stadium which necessitated Buhari’s emergency exit from the venue. I remember him teasing, ‘So, Lami, you have now grown up to be writing controversial stories ba?”
Everyone in the Jos office welcomed Joseph when he resumed and Mrs. Igah even gave him the nickname, ‘Uncle Joe’.
The popular notion was that Hir Joseph was very stubborn, too blunt and very harsh in his utterances. Most people, including our colleagues who didn’t understand him, had that impression. But as I got to understand Joseph as a person, I came to realise that what others called stubborn was his perseverance, what they saw as too blunt and harsh was his being forthright and straight forward to whoever and wherever.
Having worked closely with the late Joseph for almost two years, I became fond of him and took him as an elder brother. He would often call me to complain about certain things in the country or within a community that he wasn’t comfortable with, and we would talk on the phone for almost an hour, not minding that we would meet in the office the next day. He was also an avid reader of cultural and political histories and was very spiritual. Quite often, he spoke about Nigeria’s history and encouraged people around him to strive to be the best at whatever they did. Mr. Hir, as I used to call him, had a penchant for investigations, it excited him and he would always bring his ideas to the office and ask for suggestions. He worked as a lone ranger though, with many acquaintances and a few friends. Joseph challenged a lot of people to be better than what they are, he struggled and pushed others to do same. He described everyone as sister or brother and preached unity, love and fairness. He loved to celebrate the achievements of Nigerians, especially outstanding northerners making their marks around the world and went the extra mile for the downtrodden and the oppressed. He was protective of the young and elderly and was very energetic and full of life.
But in his last days, he was far from the strong and agile man we knew. The illness had eaten deep into him and he was constantly in pain to the extent that he could barely speak on phone. Such pain always resonated in the voice of his wife, Scholastica, even when she tried to cover it up.
A day after his death, we visited his home in Makurdi to be with his family and we saw two of his two young kids, Sesugh and Michelle, carrying on as if nothing had happened. Though his eldest daughter, nine-year-old Mimi, was out with an aunt, the thought of how Scholastica would find the words to explain to the kids where their daddy is in the coming months troubled me. But in a couple of days after his death, I have seen strength gradually returning to her through her voice.
At the Jos office, I have observed how sad and melancholic everyone feels since his death, some of us still act as though he had only travelled for the weekend or gone on leave and would eventually return. Often, I’ve had to ask Susan Pam to open the cabinet so I could take another glance at the favourite blue jacket he left behind. I watch from my seat how our Regional Manager looks with sadness at Joseph’s seat, just next to his. Having shared an office for almost two years, we have come to admire the kind of bond the two had shared. For most people, Joseph will be remembered for being a dogged and fearless journalist, he would be remembered for his impact journalism and for saying the truth, no matter what it cost him. But for most of us, Joseph will most be remembered for his strong family ties.