It’s a special day for a special individual who played a significant role in my professional journey. Today, it’s three scores and a half (70 years) on earth for Mr Thomas Odemwingie (better known as Tommy Odemwingie), former Features Editor of The Guardian!!!
Our paths first crossed sometime in 1985, but a significant connection happened about a year later. In 1985, I was sent to The Guardian as an intern from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ). I had just completed the first year of a two-year Diploma programme.
For most students of the school, The Guardian was a no-go place. Tales of rejection or neglect of the sets before mine discouraged my classmates from filling the then relatively new newspaper as their place of internship. But I couldn’t think of anywhere else but The Guardian. While some of my colleagues had their choice tweaked in the final posting list, I got the choice I made. The programme coordinator, Mr Paul Omoigiade (God bless his soul) said he would have placed me in The Guardian even if I had selected somewhere else. I was a campus journalist of repute in my first year at NIJ, and he had concluded that The Guardian was the best place to horn my skills.
I arrived The Guardian to commence internship and was directed to meet the Managing Editor, Mr Tunde Thompson. We were four that reported — three from other institutions. I was assigned to learn from the judicial reportorial team of Folake Doherty (later Soyinka) and Kunle Sanyaolu. Both were busy covering the trial of the Second Republic political leaders by the military tribunals set up by the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari.
Somehow, I gained the confidence of my supervisors and was allowed to cover the afternoon sessions of the tribunals. By the time I returned to school having completed the six-week internship, I had a pile of stories to brag with among my school mates. A year later, I returned to The Guardian having completed my diploma programme at the NIJ believing I could get a job on the strength on my internship. But I was told not yet; not until I freelanced for some months.
To Port Harcourt I headed and reported for virtually all sections of The Guardian. My remuneration: six kobo (not Naira, please) for every line of my published story! From general news, business and economy, sports, health, lifestyle, women, and more, I looked for stories and reported.
I had to be in Lagos to sort out my allowances. It was during one of those trips that I became of interest to Oga Tommy. He called me to his office and asked if I had received my letter of appointment. My “No” got him off his seat, straight to the editor’s office. He returned about 10 minutes later and uncharacteristically locked the door behind himself. He looked me straight in the face: “Is it true that you have joined The Republic?” The Republic had just hit the newsstand and I had done some stories for the publication without byline. On this day however, my story hit the front page of the paper and my byline featured.
I told Oga Tommy the truth: yes, the News Editor of The Republic, Mr Ademola Adetula, who was a year my senior at the NIJ, wanted me on the payroll of the newspaper, but my option remained The Guardian or nothing. Oga Tommy encouraged me never to relent, that he was sure I would eventually become a staff of The Guardian.
That eventually happened about a year later to the delight of Oga Tommy. With my posting to Ilorin in 1989 as the Kwara State correspondent, our interaction became limited. But he would seize every moment I reported at the head office to give me encouragement. By 1991, I left The Guardian and our parts did not cross again until about six or so years ago when he was spokesman of the Bureau of Public Procurement.
In furtherance of its stakeholder engagements, the Public Relations Consultants of Nigeria reached out to the BPE. Our then Secretary General, Omooba Adetola Odusote was tasked with that responsibility. As the then Vice President of the association, I was in the delegation to BPE and eagerly looked forward to the meeting in Abuja. But Oga Tommy was out of the office on another official assignment when we arrived.
A few years ago, Oga Tommy’s son, Edegbe became my good friend; both of us connected through a virtual group, Soccergist.
This is to wish you more Divine blessings as you further climb the ladder of life, Oga Tommy.
