The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Jude Isiguzo

  • Jude Isiguzo: Good night

    Jude Isiguzo: Good night

    It about 12:25pm on Saturday, November 29, I got a call from a colleague, Tunji Sanniowo. I wanted to give him the usual pleasantries, but he would not want any of it, rather to confirm or inform me of the death of my brother, senior colleague, and a precious friend, Jude Isiguzo, the crime correspondent of The Nation newspapers. “Olopa done die,” he said. Which Olopa? I queried. Jude now, he reaffirmed. I said, IG? No lailai! I said it as if he would not die in 90 years time. It was really unimaginable.

    I immediately reminded him that, Jude was on leave and that he travelled to the United Kingdom (UK), but Sanniowo said I should reconfirm because some people used Jude’s photo on their BBM.

    Bewildered and unsettled, I scrolled to Tunde Bishi’s number, another colleague, who could probably confirm the story, but the network would not go through. I again tried The Nation daily editor’s   P.A’s number, Idris Akinpelu, the response was ‘no network coverage’. Enraged this time, blasting Nigeria network provider, I waited for another five minutes and dialed another close colleague of Jude, Joseph Udeh, alas! He picked the call. “Baba how far? Happy weekend,” I greeted him.  His response was shocking, for 20 seconds he was silent. “Prof as he would call me,” Jude done die o, naso we see am…….”

    Visibly shaken, reminisces of my five years relationship with my Oga, brother, friend and colleague encapsulate my entire memory. My first encounter with him was in March 2009, when he came to the advert department. As a new employee then, I was fascinated by the way he spoke; it was a very unique quality that attracted all to him. Mrs. Vera Chidi-Maha sent me to buy him a bottle of water, when I came back he was talking to me as if he knew me for a long time. I was not surprised, because of the way he mingled with people.

    Jude isiguzo was one in a million. A rare Igbo man, an example of what human being should be. We would argue over political matters and other sundry issues.  He was a perfect social man. We never saw him get angry, so accommodating and enviable personality.

    To qualify his worth is attempt to measure up the water in an ocean. He lived an exemplary life, always very supportive to the younger generation. It is with painful heart I join others to say, may his gentle soul rest in peace.

  • Lagos NUJ condoles with The Nation over Isiguzo’s death

    Lagos NUJ condoles with The Nation over Isiguzo’s death

    •MD: His death, a great loss to the profession

    •Editor: A nice guy gone

    Many were in tears again yesterday. Some moved close to crying as the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council delegation came calling at The Nation headquarters to commiserate with management and staff over the death of Crime Correspondent Jude Isiguzo.

    Isiguzo, 43, died in Lagos after a brief illness.

    Chairman of Lagos NUJ Deji Elumoye led the team that was received by Deputy Editor (News) Mr Adeniyi Adesina, who led them to meet Editor Gbenga Omotoso and Managing Director/Editor-in-chief Mr Victor Ijijeh.

    Elumoye said Isiguzo was nominated as one of the 37 journalists to participate in the (NUJ)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) capacity-building workshop slated for Ibadan, Oyo State capital next week.

    But death has robbed Isiguzo, who was chairman of The Nation chapter of the NUJ, the opportunity.

    Others on the NUJ delegation Vice-Chairman, Babatunde Jimoh; Assistant Secretary Odifa Alfred, Treasurer Kehinde Ajayi and Mrs Dupe Olaoye-Osinkolu Chairman, NAWOJ  Lagos chapter.

    A visibly depressed Elumoye, who presented a condolence letter to The Nation management, said the late Isiguzo was passionate about his job and union activities.

    “The Nation Chapel as a result of his activities is one the chapels the council relies on always. We never had issues with The Nation’s management. He always said positive things about the management at our congresses. It is sad to lose him (Isiguzo) at this time,” he said.

    Elumoye said the council has opened a condolence register for the deceased at its Ikeja Secretariat. He led his team to sign the condolence register at The Nation headquarters.

    “We are here to share in your pains; we pray that things like this will not happen again. Issue of sudden death will be a thing of the past,” he prayed.

    He promised that the council would do its duty to the deceased’s widow, Gwendaline and participate actively in the funeral.

    Omotoso thanked the council for the thoughtful initiative to visit the company.

    He described Isiguzo as a reporter who knew his beat.

    “It is so sad that we lost him; a nice guy is gone. We got a letter from his doctor last week seeking for extension of his leave for two weeks and the request was granted automatically.

    “We never envisaged it was that serious, otherwise we would have raised a team to visit him and see if he was well attended to,” he said.

    The editor urged journalists to always take time out for medical checkup, saying that the profession is tasking. He likened the human body to a car engine that can develop fault at anytime if not well managed.

    He thanked God for the comments people made about Isiguzo.

    “What people said about Jude was amazing. He was dutiful, well-behaved, considerate and ever willing to help. I’m so proud that he was one of us; the question remains why this man? We take solace in the scripture that admonishes us that in all things, we should give thanks to God,” he said.

    Elumoye, while presenting the condolence letter to Mr. Ifijeh, prayed God to grant the management, staff and the deceased’s family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

    Mr. Ifijeh described Isiguzo’s death as very sad.

    “His death is a great losts to the profession. I pray that this does not happen here again and in other media establishment,” he said.

    The Managing Director recalled how the late Isiguzo came out of leave to join The Nation’s management to receive visiting Lagos Commissioner of Police,  Mr Kayode Aderanti on November 13.

    “I said ‘you were supposed to be on leave,’ he replied that ‘these are my people.’ Anytime any member of the staff had issue with the police, he resolved it.

    “As the NUJ Chairman, he always sought for advice before taking any major step. We had a cordial relationship,” he said.

     

     

     

  • Jude, how could you leave us so soon?

    Shortly after I woke up in the morning of Saturday November 29, 2014, my phone beeped. I checked and discovered it was a BBM message. I saw that the message was from one of my contacts who goes by the display name Queen Esther (Nwa Chinemere).

    Her real name is Gwen Isiguzo. She is the wife (still finding it difficult to refer to her as a widow) of my good friend, Jude Isiguzo.

    I take friends who are very close to me as my brothers, therefore, apart from my friendship with them, I also establish cordial relationship with their immediate families, especially their wives. I have their wives’ contacts. We talk on the telephone and chat via BBM and WhatsApp as regularly as possible.

    The last time I chatted with Mrs. Isiguzo was on November 8, the day she and her husband returned from their vacation trip abroad. She told me they just landed at the Lagos Airport. “Una welcome o,” I wrote and she replied, “Thanks, egbon mi.” She calls me “egbon mi” (my elder brother).

    This Saturday morning, her message confused me. “Your friend is gone. Your friend, Jude Isiguzo is gone,” she simply wrote. Jude did not tell me he was traveling again. The last time we spoke, he said he wanted to come to Abuja to spend the remaining few days of his vacation and use the opportunity to replace his wife’s missing wedding ring at the Wuse Market where they sell gold.

    So, not aware of the trauma she was passing through at that time, I replied Mrs. Isiguzo, “Gone to where?” Her response pierced straight into my heart: “Egbon mi, to Heaven.” That was 10.33am.

    To heaven ke? Where do they call heaven? Was he sent by his editors to cover an event there? I was shaking, my head was aching and my heart pounding at the same time. This is beyond chatting, I had to quickly dial Mrs. Isiguzo’s number and she confirmed that my good friend and brother died that morning in a private hospital in FESTAC town. She managed to tell me he fell sick on Tuesday. I was short of words and told her I will call back. I am yet to summon enough courage to call her back.

    I called a few mutual friends and colleagues of ours based in Lagos. They were to join his wife in the hospital to see things for themselves. I was eagerly waiting to hear from them that Jude truly went into a coma but has been revived. That news did not come. The news that came was that Jude has indeed left this world!

    Our paths crossed when we were reporting crime for our different employers. He was with the then The Comet which later metamorphosed into The Nation while I work for The Punch. We were so close that some of our colleagues openly wondered why and how a Yoruba man would be so close to an Igbo man. He calls me “my brother from another mother.” We discussed very personal issues and offered each other advice.

    In November 2011, I was one of his friends who were in his hometown in Abia State to join him to bury his father, Pa Hillary Nmerengwa Isiguzo who died at the age of 83. Exactly three years after, in November 2014, we are set to bury young Jude who was no where near his father’s age.

    Jude was a jolly good fellow, a very funny person. The way he talks is even funny. If you are not ready to laugh your heart out, do not go near him.

    In Jude, I have lost a personal friend and a brother across the Niger.

    I share in the grief of his young wife. Tears dropped freely from my eyes when she changed her personal message on BBM to “How could you leave me ALONE?”

    I join this young widow to ask Jude, how could you leave we your friends and colleagues alone? How could you? How could you? Jude, how could you?

    May your soul continue to rest in peace and may the good Lord console your widow. Adieu, Jude Isiguzo.

    Adetayo, a friend of the deceased, writes from Abuja.

     

  • The Nation Crime Correspondent, Isiguzo, dies

    The Nation Crime Correspondent, Isiguzo, dies

    •He fought to stay alive, says sister
    •Wife: This was not our agreement

    VINTAGE Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspapers, was in a sad mood yesterday as the paper’s Senior Crime Correspondent, Jude Isiguzo, bade farewell to the world.

    The news of Isiguzo’s death came to many as a rude shock.

    He came out of his annual leave to join The Nation’s management to receive the new Commissioner of Police, Lagos Command, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, who paid a visit to the company at the corporate office on Thursday November 13.

    He bubbled with life while the commissioner’s visit lasted.

    The late Isiguzo was admitted last Tuesday in a private hospital in Festac Town, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government near his residence.

    He breathed his last yesterday’s morning after the hospital the medical team’s unsuccessful battle to save his life.

    The Nation team led by the Administrative Manager, Mrs. Folake Adeoye, was among the early callers that paid condolence visit to his residence in Festac.

    The house was under lock. A neighbour and family friend, Mr. Jude Uttute led the team to the late Isiguzo’s elder sister, Mrs. Juliana Okezu’s residence on road 512 ‘C’ close, where Isiguzo’s widow, Gwendaline was taken to.

    Dressed in a blue shirt, black trouser and headscarf, Mrs. Isiguzo held a chaplet, looking dejected.

    She intermittently used a white handkerchief to wipe tears dropping down her cheeks.

    She could barely utter long sentence.

    “See how Jude left me. This was not our agreement,” Mrs Isiguzo said.

    She wrote on her BlackBerry message earlier on: “How could you leave me now? You promised me forever. I will always love you.”

    Mrs. Okezu described her brother’s death as shocking and saddening.

    She said: “He did not give up easily; he fought to stay alive but God said its time for him to die. We were all in the hospital praying for him.

    “On Friday night, when his condition was not improving, we decided to hold a vigil at the hospital.

    “He gave up this morning to our utterly dismay. I carried him, talk to his ears, shouted at his ear but when he didn’t respond or say a word, I realised that my brother was no more.”

    Sobbing intermittently, Uttute said ‘OJ’ as he fondly called the deceased was among the nicest person in the area.

    He wondered why God has to take the life of a good man, leaving evil doers on earth.

    “I was with him on Thursday at the hospital and told him to come home. ‘I will soon come home Sir,’ was his reply. This was not what we wanted,” he said, weeping.

    The remains of Isiguzo have been taken to his Abia home state at Isiala Ngwa.