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Tag: Tola Adeniyi

  • Tola Adeniyi: A life of words and wisdom

    Tola Adeniyi: A life of words and wisdom

    “Wisdom is the supreme virtue, for it is the source of all other virtues.” – Epicurus.

    As we reflect on the life and legacy of Tola Adeniyi, a man whose words have inspired and challenged generations, we are reminded of the power of journalism and literature to shape our understanding of the world and our place within it. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, we honour not only his remarkable life but also the enduring impact of his work on our collective consciousness.

    Adeniyi’s life story, if adapted into a biopic, would be a blockbuster. His journey as a proven professional encapsulates and reflects the social history of Nigerian journalism’s evolution from rudimentary beginnings to a sophisticated analytical framework.

    Complimenting this development, any history of the transformation of journalism in Nigeria must focus on the intervention of people like Tola Adeniyi. His analysis enthused tens of thousands and became a must-read. The Akogun I of Ijebuland and Jagun Oodua Adimula II of Ile-Ife actively enlightened many minds and played a fundamental role in elevating the discussion to a new level. This was quite an achievement and represents a major breakthrough.

    Given the international acclaim of Nigeria’s media today, it’s fitting to acknowledge the contributions of pioneers like Tola Adeniyi, whose analytical content and illuminating style have set a high standard. No doubt, their interventions have elevated standards, changed media perception, and contributed to the overall good. Indeed, they’ve played a crucial role in promoting democratic values.

    In an article titled ‘Tola Adeniyi is a brand’, I wrote that his most remarkable trait is his extraordinary and legendary brilliance. I still stand by this assessment. If we’re to imagine a parallel universe where facts and fiction blur, Tola Adeniyi would undoubtedly be a king, ruling with the class and elegance that has defined his career.

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    On a day like this, the best birthday gift for Tola Adeniyi would be to put together that blockbuster biopic.

    May the wisdom of the ages continue to guide him, and may his pen remain mightier than the sword, inspiring generations to come!

    May his legacy be a testimony to the power of knowledge, courage and conviction, and may his life’s work continue to illuminate the path for others!

    Happy Birthday to a decisive figure in our contemporary social history!

    May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in our time!

  • Tola Adeniyi at 80

    Tola Adeniyi at 80

    •This is remarkable for an iconic journalist who had thought given his family record, he won’t live more than 40 years

    On May 29, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, one of the greats of Nigerian journalism over the last five decades, prolific columnist, media entrepreneur, dramatist, author, administrator and businessman turned 80. His has been a consistent and continuous presence on Nigeria’s media landscape as one of the most courageous voices against bad governance, both by military dictatorships and corrupt civilian administrations.

    If morning shows a clear indication of the day and the child is the father of the man, it was obvious quite early that the young Adeniyi would blossom into an impassioned journalist with uncommon mastery of the written word. An early immersion in the riches of his Yoruba cultural heritage, as well as deep acquaintance with Muslim Koranic learning, in addition to Western education gave him a broad-based intellectual foundation, making him versatile in both English and Yoruba.

    At the age of 14, he had begun to recite Yoruba poetry on Radio Nigeria. He was 16 when he published his first collection of Yoruba poetry titled ‘Aye Ode Oni’.

    As a student at the Ago-Iwoye Secondary School in Ogun State, he was editor of the school magazine, ‘The Spartan’. Later at the Ijebu-Ode Muslim College, he was editor-in-chief of the students magazine, ‘The Scientia’. He was admitted into the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and it was as an undergraduate at the institution that he founded the Writer’s Club in 1966.

    During this period, he achieved the feat of adapting Chinua Achebe’s path-breaking novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’ for stage and television. Thereafter, Adeniyi developed a close friendship with Achebe such that after his marriage, he and his wife spent their honeymoon in the writer’s house in Nsukka.

    He later obtained a Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Lancaster in the UK, and also a Diploma in Mass Communication.

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    Akogun Adeniyi was one of the first set of university graduates to be recruited into journalism by the iconic Alhaji Babatunde Jose who was then Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the defunct Daily Times Conglomerate. Writing with the pen name, ‘Aba Saheed’, he was one of the most prolific and unsparing columnists in Nigerian journalism during the period of military rule in the 1970s. His widely-read columns ever so critical of the excesses of military rule often attracted the wrath and harassment of the security agencies, but the young Adeniyi remained undaunted and unrepentant. 

    Speaking of his Aba Saheed column in an interview, he said, “Aba Saheed’ nursed not the intent to appease anybody. Rather, he writes to pull down the ‘Berlin walls’ of oppression”. In the same vein, he asserted that “All my writings have been geared towards protecting the weak and the oppressed, the depressed and the deprived in the society”. Thus, in his assessment of the role of the media in Nigeria’s history, he emphasises the contribution of journalism in holding power to account stressing that “Well, yesterday, the media was great. It was the media that got Nigeria independence. It was the media that drove away whoever was messing the country up. It was the media that drove away Shehu Shagari. It  was the media that killed Sani Abacha. It was the media that sent Ibrahim Babangida away. It was the media that prevented Olusegun Obasanjo from his third term or lifetime agenda”.

    With the transition to civilian rule in the Second Republic in 1979, Adeniyi moved to the ‘Nigerian Tribune’ where he maintained his crusading, vitriolic columns subjecting President Shagari ‘s administration to scathing criticisms while exhibiting support for Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

    By 1980, however, he had fallen out with the management of the Tribune Group of Newspapers and made a successful transition from journalism to media entrepreneurship.

    Under the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, he was appointed a permanent secretary in the Presidency, responsible for coordinating the movement of the country’s capital from Lagos to Abuja, and later Chairman and Editor-in-chief of the Daily Times Conglomerate. He is the Chairman/Managing Consultant of ‘Knowledge Plaza’, a body of speech writers, biographers and editorial consultants, as well as Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Canada College and Canada University Press, Toronto.

    Chief Adeniyi, who initially thought he would not live beyond 40 years like many of his uncles and other relatives is the author of several creative works, including his autobiography, “Life Scripted by Destiny and Acted by Fate”. He continues to write on national affairs, making a case for the fundamental restructuring of Nigeria. He is the pioneer President of the League of Nigerian Columnists.