I narrowly escaped death during Maitatsine riot – Joe Oroye

Can you tell us how your life started? I was born in Ayede compound, Ogbomosho in March, 1939. I was brought to the North in 1950. I happened to be one of the pioneer students of Kafin Koro Primary School, near Minna in Niger State. I left Kafin Koro for Kaduna in 1960. I then […]

Can you tell us how your life started?

I was born in Ayede compound, Ogbomosho in March, 1939. I was brought to the North in 1950. I happened to be one of the pioneer students of Kafin Koro Primary School, near Minna in Niger State. I left Kafin Koro for Kaduna in 1960. I then went to Zungeru in 1961 to learn photography. After which I went back to Kaduna. I have been in Kaduna since 1964 until 2006 when Media Trust Limited transferred me to Abuja and posted me to State House.

I have worked with various media houses.  I started with the New Nigerian Newspapers in 1968. I joined Daily Times in 1976. I left Daily Times for Concord in 1980. I left Concord for Democrat in 1983. When it folded up temporarily, I joined the Today on Sunday in 1986. In 1989, I went back to Democrat before it finally collapsed. I then joined Weekly Trust in Kaduna. I was one of the pioneer staff. The first edition of Weekly Trust carried my by-line (both story and picture) in front page. I had been with Daily Trust since then. In fact, Daily Trust happened to be the newspaper I served for so long in my professional career.

How did you venture into journalism and what was your source of inspiration?

Let me tell you this story. In January 14, 1966, I was riding a bicycle then. That was also the day the late Premier of Western Region, Chief Ladoke Akintola came to Kaduna on the eve of the coup. The Premier of Northern Region Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto accompanied him to the airport. I was excited by the way the reporters were interviewing them. The reporters were moving freely and Sardauna was giving them rapt attention. I was wondering: ‘What kind of people are these?’ Are they different people? From there, I developed interest in journalism.

What about photography?

You see, photography is an art. I developed interest into photography when I was in Kafin Koro, through a photographer who came from Minna to take our school photographs. It was from there I developed interest in photography. Eventually, I became a photojournalist when I was in New Nigerian as one of their football players. From there, our graphic manager developed interest in me and employed me as a press photographer. I was covering event s for them.

In fact, it was the late Abidina Comassie that taught me how to write photo captions. He kept on lecturing me on how to discharge my duties diligently. Our news editor then was Sulaiman Jalo; I don’t know whether he is alive now. Dan Agbese was then a reporter with the New Nigerian. The father of Leadership publisher, Sam Nda Isaiah; Clement Isaiah happened to be in-charge of sports. He normally assigned me to cover sports.

You seem to have worked with many people that later on became media moguls; the likes of Dan Agbese of Newswatch, Abidina Comassie of Today, among others. How was working with them like at that time?

First of all, if you are dedicated to your duty you will be known. I was known simply because of my performance. Whenever I was assigned to cover an assignment, I felt happy because I was always happy with my job. And once one is happy with one’s job he would be able to do it effectively. My interaction with the people I mentioned was easy because I believed in respecting my colleagues.  I don’t take myself as anything. That was why I was able to relate with them successfully. Even our chairman, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, he was our editor in 1986 when we started Today on Sunday. Probably it was from that interaction that led him to employ me when the Weekly Trust debut in 1998.

What about the hazard of the job. Photojournalists sometimes are faced with challenges that vary from harassment, retrieving and even smashing their cameras. What were your experiences? 

 

I can recall three events that still linger in my memory. During the Maitatsine riot in Kano in 1980, we were in Kano with the late Tunde Amao; he was a reporter with Daily Times. We left Kaduna for that particular assignment.  You know in those days, you take pictures, roll out the films, write the captions and send them to Lagos, then the headquarters. On that fateful day, in fact, a van was waiting for me to collect the films while I was writing the captions. Tunde Amao left me on the table trying to cover the riots. On getting to Tashar Kuka, he was shot. His identity card was brought to Daily Times office for identification. You can see that if not because I was writing that caption; I would have probably died along with him.   

Secondly, it was the same Maitatsine riot in Yola and that was the day General Muhammadu Buhari as head of state went to inspect the damage caused by the riot. I was given a van and a driver to go to Yola to cover that event. We arrived Yola at 2am and headed straight to the Democrat office. We couldn’t find anybody there even though we observed that there were several burnt houses, vehicles and bodies all over the place; we decided to go to our office at that hour of the night. On getting to the office, there was nobody to talk to, only for the office night guard who was flashing us with his torch light to tell us that the office was not safe for us to stay because the situation was still tense. As we were about to reverse our car, we saw the Maitatsine group coming towards our direction in large number. It was by miracle that we escaped, because, even the driver couldn’t explain how he reversed the vehicle that night. We took refuge in the airport. I had never seen bodies like that day.

Even the head of state was covering his nose due to odour. On our way back, on getting to Mararraban Jos, there was a truck packed by the road side, only God knows what happened, our vehicle was to go under it but as God would have it, we hit the rear tyres and turned back.

Also, I went to Okene during the two riots in Oganaminana.  I went alone and did the story. I interviewed the traditional leaders, local government chairmen and so on, successfully for Weekly Trust. You remember Zangon Kataf, a reporter was sent to cover the crisis, but the reporter came back empty handed. I was asked to go. I went to Zangon Kataf and did the story with photographs.

One of my frightening moments was the day I was sent to Dutsimma to cover the exhumation of some bodies. I left Kaduna around 2pm and it was raining, it took us several hours to arrive. I got to Dutsimma around 11pm and I didn’t know anybody in that town. In fact, I was walking in darkness without knowing where I was going simply because I was interested in covering that event.  I ended up sleeping with a night guard, who even earlier refused to allow me until I showed him my equipment. He kept on watching thinking that I was up to do something till dawn. I was even telling myself should anything happen to me here, who will even know. But I succeeded in covering my assignment.

Your combination of reportorial work with photojournalism makes you a sort of a one-man squad; particularly in those days. How did you achieve that feat?

 

I was able to combine the two because of my interest in the job. Even though I knew that nobody is perfect, I had been trying to see that I put in my best. I don’t believe that there is something one can’t do if you are interested in doing. I was following reporters in New Nigerian whenever they go for assignments. Like I told you, I was following Dan Agbese and Abidina Comassie whenever they were going out for assignment. Gradually, I developed interest in what they were doing. One thing I have learnt in this profession is that if you refuse to move with time, you will be left behind. That is why people see me as somebody younger than his age. I refused to allow anything to distract me from doing my job.

By the time I was posted to the Presidency, we were using analogue then. We received preferential treatment in the colour photo lab because of the nature of our job. From the State House I would record the briefing after Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting and rush to the photo lab, while waiting for the processing of the film I would be transcribing. After collecting the photographs, I would go back to the office and write my stories. You can see the difficulties one was going through. Due to the pressure at that time at times I don’t even eat. I was posted to the State House in 2003 and I have been there since.

You had burning interest into journalism even though the job is not a money-spinning profession. What happens?

You see, journalism is not a money making profession.  Many people come into the job with different interests and they have served and left. But because of the interest some of us had for the job, we are still into it. I didn’t come into the job because of money.

In the course of your professional calling do you have any event that still lingers in your mind?

I got worried whenever my story or photograph was not used. Probably that kept me working harder.

Were you ever molested or manhandled in the course of your career?

I had that experience in Kano when the then President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida went there for a state visit. I was in the Kano Airport and I had a clash with the then Kano State Commissioner of Police, who tried to prevent me from taking my shots. You know we were struggling to get the shot of the president’s handshake with the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.  He dragged me and my camera away. It was the then Katsina State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Hamisu Ali Jos, having knew me, came and pacified me, and even promised to compensate me; even though that didn’t happen.

Was there any attempt from the authorities or individuals to suppress the publication of your stories or photographs in the course of your career? Or somebody complaining about your work or even threatening you?

Even Chief Sony Okogwu in Kaduna had tried it once because of a photograph I snapped. I was with the Democrat then and nurses from the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Kaduna staged a demonstration in front of his house protesting his maltreatment of their colleague. I got that photograph and Okogwu didn’t want it published. He even invited us inside his house and I told him that the only favour I could do for him was not to write the story but the photograph had to be published. He even talked to my editor. The following morning the picture came out; we were then invited to the Police Headquarters in Kaduna together with Asabe Ndoma and Abdulhamid Babatunde. From there, we were taken to Gabasawa, along Ibrahim Taiwo Road.  We were detained there till around 1am. We were in the police station when the Democrat published a story that Babatunde, Ndoma and Oroye were detained by the police. They asked us to go that night. I told my colleagues that for me I was not stepping out of the police station until after six in the morning. They said why? I said anything can happen; you can be going only for the police to come say that you are arrested for wandering. What excuse will you have? Asabe Ndoma was even crying. We slept there, the following morning we were asked to go without formal charges.

Media Trust Limited recently honoured you as its pioneer retiree. How do you feel about it? 

I feel particularly honoured for being the first staff in the company to serve and retire. That alone is an honour to me. I thanked the management of Media Trust Limited, particularly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Malam Kabiru Yusuf for giving me the opportunity to serve in their company.