Olayinka Oyegbile, Deputy Editor, The Nation on Sunday writes on his recent re-union with his former boss at The Guardian, Alhaji Rasaq Adedigba who “painstakingly taught practical sub editing, a world away from whatever theories learnt in our various institutions.”
More than a decade and a half ago that we both parted ways in The Guardian Newspapers of old. We met again last weekend at a wedding in Ajah, Lagos. It was a sweet reunion. Although he is on Facebook (thanks to Zuckerberg) and has been in touch but seeing face to face made the meeting livelier.
I’m talking here about Alhaji Razaq Adedigba. All those who were of The Guardian stable in the 90s will surely have different stories to tell about this man who we (of course out of his earshot) called “Mr. Man.” There was no reporter or sub editor in The Guardian stable who had not at one time or the other come across him when he was Associate Editor and later Deputy Editor. God help you if you write a sloppy copy and you’re invited to his office. He would upbraid you in such a manner that next time you’ll work better on your copy before submitting it.
Perhaps those who have the most caustic part of the upbraiding if sloppy copies are passed were the Sub-editors. Among sub editors and reporters of The Guardian then, the fear of “Mr. Man’ was the start of a good copy. Some saw his as “harsh, brash and unsparing” but it was all in pursuit of excellence that was the hallmark of The Guardian then and the building of the confidence of the reporter and the sub editor. He was not all criticisms, he would also call you to his office to commend you as a reporter who wrote a good story or as a sub editor worked on a great story. That was however rare because he believes no copy is sacrosanct and can’t be improved upon.
At that time most of us perhaps regarded his upbraiding as too harsh and unsparing. However, today we are grateful, it was all for our professional benefits. Any of us who had to work on any story that would make pages 1,3 and back page, which were regarded as the prime pages then, knew that extra efforts must be made on those copies if you’re not to get a summon to his office.
He painstakingly taught us practical sub editing, a world away from whatever theories we might have learnt in our various institutions. I can clearly confess that The Guardian sub desk then was unarguably the nation’s best and it made the paper the toast of the newspaper industry. I am talking of the sub desk which had Mr. Banji Adisa as Chief Sub Editor and Kayode Idowu as his deputy. The others were Yemi Ajayi, Ezi Uche Ubani, Steve Ilo, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Wole Afolabi, the late Ben Tialobi, did I leave anyone out?
My meeting with him was eventful, although we were not able to dwell much on journalism but I was grateful that I was one of those whom he shaped in sub editing despite the fact that at that time many of us never appreciated what he was doing. We always taught he was too strict and that we were no longer sophomore students who do not know our left from right.
Thank you, Alhaji Rasaq Adedigba aka Mr. Man. He is perhaps knowing that this was what we called him behind his back. Lest I forget, he is also Jos brought up.
*The facebook post attracted many comments which confirmed Oyegile’s tribute to Adedigba and additional names missing the vintage The Guardian sub-desk.
Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi : You just brought back those sweet memories, my brother. And you have said it all. Luckily for me, all my encounters with him were pleasant, but I witnessed the “demystification” of some of my colleagues, whose names I will rather not mention here. He was the “igi lehin ogba” Mr Eleum Emeka Izeze then, and I used to enjoy his manner of speaking the Yoruba language.
Taiwo Obe: Mister Man, that’s you, Olayinka Oyegbile be sure Mr Man would sub-edit this copy and you would still thank him. By the way, parts of The Guardian’s success were its re-write and “sub” desks. Was Ifeanyi Mbanefo on your team or he had left before you joined?
Yemi Ajayi Yinka: what a befitting tribute to Mr. Man. They don’t make them like that any more. I remembered the first time I earned his commendation over a story I had edited. I was floating in the air by the time i left his office. By the way, your list left out Taiwo Akinyemi, Wale Adele and Emeka Mba, the current (?) Director General of Nigerian Broadcasting Commission.
Steve Ilo: Mr. Mon, please update your list: Gbenga Omotoso, Hyacinth Onoh, Julius Eto and Saxone Akhaine.
Wale Fatade Mr. Man: “Wale abi ki l’oko ti e? Se story lo ko yi?” It was not a funny thing to be called into his office in his deep voice as that surely meant a bad copy but he is a jolly good fellow particularly when no copy is involved. You omitted one person, Double O, Mr. Nnadi who later joined the sub desk. Good to see him looking dapper.
Oyeyemi Oyedeji Gbenga-Mustapha Indeed! He did not spare me at The Comet. The over all effect of his eagle eye on my copies is still helping me out, till date.
Sunny Igboanugo : Abeg connect me immediately. I was a victim and a beneficiary. I have one word for him THANK YOU
Sunny Igboanugo: Those poor copies turn out a stunner the next morning by the time you read them, you didn’t say
Mo Babajide-Alabi: Alhaji Adedigba was a stickler for perfection. As a Production Sub Editor, I was often in and out of his office with my news pages. He was eagle-eyed and no mistake went past his table. When you think you were done for the night, he would send his corrections (with the stories practically rewritten). Alhaji, you are appreciated. I wish I run into you too and tell you how you impacted me in copy editing. Thank you!
Mustapha Ogunsakin: The correct pronunciation is actually “Mr Mon”. I think at a point he became aware that i will do everything to avoid running into him, whether inside or outside the newsroom. He will then come to the Judicial desk and say “Ogunsakin abi ki lo pe o nje…
Dayo Ariyo: Mr Mon, you are going to get a memo (query) for your ‘audacious’ but (in)correct pronunciation o. Lol.
Oluyinka Olujimi: You these old hands in The Guardian have a way of intimidating those of us who never worked under these icons, particularly Ladbone, Mr Kusa and Mister Mon. Well, i had my fair share of the three. At a private invitation sometime shortly after the Come…See More
Adigun Bashir : Mr. Oyegbile, I also want to add here that Alhaji would invite a reporter to his office and ask him “When last did you write a story for this Paper?” And when you tell him, ” I have a story today”,Alhaji would say is that a story? Am talking about headshaking story that would make the Authorities to invite you and the editor to ask you how you got the story”
Olayinka Oyegbile: OMG! How could I have left out Sanya Onayoade? He was part of the group, a significant part for that matter. Sanyoyo, please forgive me.
Pius Mordi: And Hycent Onoh, Alhaji’s original deputy. If you give Mr. Mon a good copy, your reward is a new angle for a follow-up copy which you must deliver the following day to your own glory. A fantastic teacher and mentor he is
Gbolahan Gbadamosi: Yes. I testify. He is (was) Mr. Man
Steve Ilo: Alhaji Alhaji, please take a bow!
