Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo: Five books in tribute

In the early 1980s, I cannot say precisely when but it would certainly be shortly after my graduation in 1981, I began to write for one of Nigeria’s most prestigious Newspapers – The Guardian. I was privileged to be in the company of Nigeria’s finest minds – Wole Soyinka, Emeka Eleum Izeze,(who also  edited the paper) Eddie Iroh,  Onwuchekwa Jemie, Ndaeyo Uko, Edwin Madunagu, Yemi Ogunbiyi, Bisi Ogunbadejo,and Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo  among others. The paper was edited at the time by an incredible woman and one of Nigeria’s forward looking journalists, the arty and irreplaceable Ama Ogan. It was in this heady mix that I became a feature writer for nearly 23 years culminating in the book “In the Blink of an Eye,” most of it collections from my Guardian years. I lived in Markurdi during this period but every time I arrived Lagos, I visited the Guardian Newspapers. Lagos was alien to me but Onukaba made it easy. For a place that was so impersonal, Onukaba connected with me as a fellow writer, a brother, a friend and a human kind. He would patiently wait for me to finish chatting with all my friends at the Guardian and then he would always give me a ride wherever I was going. The kinship grew when I discovered that Onukaba was from the same ethnic stock as my mother. I remember vividly the long enjoyable trips with Onukaba between Isolo where the Guardian was and Victoria Island where NTA was. It was full of laughter, tales and intellectual discourse often code switching from English to Egbira. Onukaba was fun to be with. His mind was always active. His thoughts very deep, but he was always known to laugh heartily. When he lost his first wife to what he considered medical carelessness, Onukaba was shattered and from the depth of his sorrow, he wrote some of his most profound non-fiction. He told me he was writing a book on the experiences. He grieved long and hard.

As an academic, author, playwright and literary critic, Onukaba enjoyed intellectual discourse and we had many long ones. I was always at the performance of his plays as often as I could and we discussed my writings extensively. We shared time in Abuja but not enough. He never let any of his positions go to his head. SA Media to Vice President Atiku Abubakar, MD, Daily Times,Villa insider, gubernatorial candidate, Doctor of philosophy. His feet were firmly rooted; humble, kind and warm.He will be sorely missed.

Here are five books in honour of my brother, friend and colleague, Onukaba Adinoyi- Ojo

1) AFRICA ALTERED STATES, ORDINARY MIRACLES by Richard Dowden: I recommend this book in honour of my brother because he was passionate about the continent and was in a big hurry to change it particularly his own nation, Nigeria. As an intellectual he felt in several ways that leadership could be better deployed and therefore ended up running for the Kogi State Governorship because he felt he had what it takes to change his state. “A masterly overview of the world’s most troubled continent…The depth of Dowden’s knowledge and connection with his subject is hugely impressive and his love for the continent makes the book soar…This is non-fiction writing at its most authentic”- Tim Butcher, Daily Telegraph.

2) Onukaba was Obasanjo’s biographer and he wrote  OLUSEGUN OBASANJO IN THE EYES OF TIME. It is sad that Onukaba met his death on his way from General Obasanjo’s 80th birthday. The book, although focussing on the first 39 years of this energetic and committed `son of Africa’, succeeds in bringing out the virtues that have made Obasanjo the man he is today. The book traces his life as a son of peasant parents in a small village Onihale, near Ifo, where his father rose to become the village head and acted as a link between the villagers and the British Native Authorities. Onukaba Adinoyi, the author of the book is best placed for that role given his wide experience as a journalist with The Guardian newspaper. Since the time he met Obasanjo in 1984 at the Murtala Muhamed Airport in Lagos, he succeeded in building a rapport that culminated in his being the right hand publicity man for Obasanjo. Obasanjo’s ambitions of being a `somebody’ in the society started at an early age while he was still in primary school. His determination is partly potrayed by his quest to have a girl named Oluremi as his lover. Despite being from a poor family, Olusegun was able to succeed in persuading Oluremi whose parents were considered well off. Obasanjo’s entry into the army was to say the least, by chance. It happened that he picked a copy of a newspaper from his friend and while browsing through, an advertisement inviting applications for the cadetship examination of the Nigerian Army caught his attention. According to the author, Obasanjo’s interest in the cadetship was not because of his interest in the army but because he wanted to prepare for more serious advanced level examination he was about to do. But after passing the cadetship examinations however, he started to seriously consider a career in the army. The rest, as they say, is history.

3) OPEN FORUM a column by Taiwo Obe paid tribute to Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, in the Nation of 8th march 2017. This is such a beautiful tribute that you would best read it yourself. Add this to the tribute by Reuben Abati and Segun Adeniyi and you have a collection that would definitely drive you to tears for a man who came, who saw and was a giant in his field.

4) ATIKU – THE STORY OF ATIKU ABUBAKAR: by Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo. A biographical book he wrote about his former boss, former Vice President of Nigeria.This would make a good read at this time to view Onukaba’s beautiful mind. His way with words was amazing. Here is what he wrote in the preface.”What you are about to read is a Hagiography. I have tried to give a balance and fair portrait of a remarkable life. Although the story of an only child who grew up without a father, learned to take care of himself and to fight his own battles from an early age are not uncommon in Nigeria, many people are likely to be inspired by the subject’s rugged determination to overcome the difficulty of being born poor and lonely”

5) THE KILLING SWAMP by Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo is a play depicted by imaginative dramatisation with events that were not factual but the wits, humor and sarcasm of the play are a tribute to the man Ken Saro Wiwa. The book/play is an ‘imaginative dramatisation of the final hours of Ken Saro Wiwa, the Nigerian writer and environmental activist hanged on the 10th of November,1995 with eight others for the alleged murder of four(4) pro-government chiefs‘. This  is a book that should be read at this time. A tribute to Onukaba’s wit, humour and sarcasm.