By Okwong Otioro
SIR: “I am very proud of a leader in my age group (I will be there if He so wills on April 27, 2021). My wish for you is that you will access many more Rungs of the Ladder of Life in good health and abundant blessings from on High”.
Above was from Prince Tony Momoh in his tribute to the first democratic governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, on his 82nd birthday. The tribute was published in The Nation of Tuesday, January 19, but in exactly 13 days the possibility he expressed on his not staying to mark the same age became real.
Although I was not familiar with the late eminent journalist and lawyer, he had been my role model. This was however, not to his knowledge. I only saw him at a distance at public functions when I was the Lagos correspondent of The Pioneer newspaper from 1988 – 89. The next and last I saw him was in August, 2009 at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, during the presentation of his autobiography as a part of activities to mark his 70th birthday. The occasion fell within this period when I was attending the Annual Bar Conference. As my mark of respect and admiration for the late Auchi Prince, I had to leave the conference’s technical sessions of the day to attend the book presentation. Not only that, I ensured that I bought a copy as my practical support for him.
I first came across the name Tony Momoh in 1978 when I arrived Lagos as a young school leaver in search of green pastures. Newspapers and other publications were then very cheap such that an applicant or even a student could afford. I bought a copy of the then Sunday Times, sister edition of the then daily and on flipping through the pages, saw a full-page article and at the foot, the author was identified as, “Prince Tony Momoh, editor of The Daily Times, is a journalist/Lawyer”. That was the beginning of my love and admiration for him. Still from studying him from a long distance, the late foremost journalist and veteran lawyer was not a Nigerian who worked his head off for corruption money and wealth. I knew he was against corruption and had a lot of self-restraint and discipline. He was not a gadfly, flippant or garrulous. That was why when he intervened on issues, the authorities listened and could hardly ignore his views.
Still from my distant position to study him, the late Prince Momoh was scholarly, a voracious reader and bibliophile. Over 30 years ago, I read when he said spiritual and religious collections alone in his library were more than 500 volumes.
When the late prince of Auchi Kingdom was appointed Minister of Information and Culture by the military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, he introduced the Media Council which was to regulate the practice of journalism in Nigeria. Even before I became a lawyer, I knew he meant the best for the profession. The aim was to regulate who practised and could be called a journalist in Nigeria, but colleagues of his generation failed to see that far but said Momoh introduced the law because he had an alternative profession. The opposition continued up till about 10 years ago when four very prominent pillars of journalism in Nigeria took the matter to the Federal High Court which declared the law null and void.
Their contention was that, “No other man should dictate to an employer on who to employ”. Today, practitioners who went to school and spent years to study the profession are at morbid pains about their experience. Journalism is now for whoever goes to school and cannot find a job in a related industry on graduation. The swaggers even claim to know more than journalism or mass communication graduates. Their rank is exponentially soaring daily and will soon overwhelm the entire profession. The restriction the late Momoh introduced only stipulated ordinary diploma as the minimum entry qualification, yet the elders considered it as being too high.
Nigeria will sorely miss the quiet and meticulous politician; Edo State will miss him more; Auchi, his home will equally miss him, while his family will miss him most.
- Okwong Otioro, Uyo.
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