Media Adviser to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Yomi Odunuga clocked 60 last June. In this birthday interview, Odunuga, former Deputy Editor, The Nation Newspapers, speaks on his life and career journeys.
Clocking milestone ages comes with some feelings. For you, what does clocking 60 mean?
For me, it was a humbling moment considering the anxieties that I had a few months before June 2, 2026, when I clocked 60. When the day finally came and having witnessed what friends and family said about me at a pre-birthday parties, it occurred to me that nothing can be compared to the little things we do to make others smile.
Everything just came back in flashes of warmth and affection. It was, to me, a moment of absolute grace and thanksgiving for the way God has directed my journey through it all.
Looking back, have you been able to accomplish the life and career dreams you had since you started working?
Now, this is a tough question. Looking at it from where I was coming from and to where I presently occupy career-wise, I would be ungrateful to say God has not elevated me beyond my dreams. No, it is not about money or personal accomplishments.
It is about the many undeserved favours that one has enjoyed at the workplace. Looking back, I see myself as one of the lucky ones that time and space have elevated to greater heights. When I see those who were not that fortunate to get the kind of rapid promotions that I got everywhere that I had worked, I cannot but give thanks.
I always ask the question: how many people retire at 60 and still get the opportunity to operate at the highest level that providence has placed me? Not many. So, I think I have surpassed my expectations
What principles have guided you in coming this far in life and would recommend to others, especially younger persons?
For me, there are no shortcuts. Whatever environment I find myself in, I endeavour to learn from the best, and I ask questions. I study those who write with flair, and I copy them without forgetting to add my originality as an imprimatur of identification.
So, for the younger ones. My advice is simple: don’t be in a hurry to reach the top. Study your environment, improve your skills and always add value to the assigned duties. Someone is bound to notice that extra effort, and that would mark the beginning of your rapid growth.
How would you describe your journalism career over the years and major accomplishments you are proud of?
For someone who started as a proofreader in one of Nigeria’s leading newspapers in the days of cut and paste, journalism has improved tremendously in all facets. Anyone who fails to move with the pace at which journalism is expanding both technologically and in coverage is not ready to be in the system.
Personally, my journalism career remains on the upward swing, and that is why I said earlier on that it is through the grace of God. I have accomplished quite a lot on the job, and I have been lucky to cover some of the best beats that anyone could ever dream of.
I have been opportune to report from the highest office in the country with the added advantage of meeting the movers and shakers of the country. I have also stumbled on earth-shaking stories that gave me some good mention in high places and propped me into stepping up my journalism career.
Your present position as Media Adviser to the SFG is your second experience working outside journalism. What have you learned serving in the non-journalism positions, especially in government?
Hmmmmmmmmm…the experiences are miles apart. What is important is for one to have the ability to insist on professionalism without necessarily being rude. As a spokesperson, there is always a tendency to encounter roadblocks, especially from aides who think they know your job better than you do.
At that point, you would need to employ all the experiences garnered in the newsroom to navigate you through the issues. So, that experience as a reporter and newsroom administrator would come in as needed tools when working in a non-journalism environment where praise singing takes a larger share of the daily grind.
Is it true, like some claim, that a friend in government is a friend lost due to lack of access to them as it was before their appointments?
Well, I am yet to lose any of my friends, even if some of them do not know that working in government doesn’t mean that money flows like a river. Some friends simply assume that a friend in government can grant them unlimited waivers and access to certain things. I know that it doesn’t work like that. It takes divine wisdom to manage this seemingly easy task.
What have you had to do to advance your career to get to where you are now?
In all that I do, I try to be fair to all. My mantra is simple: get all angles and don’t ever blackmail anyone in the course of doing this job. If a story requires empathy and you have the ability to drop it, please do it. It is not everything that must be exposed on the pages of a newspaper. And court good friends.
What are your future aspirations as you grow older?
When I have the time, I should write one or two books; do a compilation of my columns and settle down to serialise my pieces.
What advice do you have for journalists who want to take government appointments?
This is simple: work with someone who believes in your professional competence and respects you. Anything outside this is a recipe for disaster.
Any other issue you would like to share your views on?
Fame comes with a lot of challenges. Age may temper your drive, but it should not stop you from sticking to those guiding philosophies of life that make our humanity sacrosanct.