President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated journalist and author, Kunle Ajibade, on his 60th birthday on May 28.
President Buhari in his congratulatory message in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja joined the media industry in specially celebrating the renowned author of “Jailed for Life’’ and “What a Country!’’ for his literary prowess and contributions to topical issues in the country over the years.
He recalled the many hurdles Ajibade had to overcome, and the sacrifices he made in the pursuit of seeing fairness and justice institutionalized in the country, including going to jail for trumped up reasons.
President Buhari commended Ajibade’s patriotism, resilience and desire to see Nigeria become a better country.
The President prayed that the almighty God would grant the author “longer life, good health and more wisdom to serve the nation he loves so much.’’
Ajibade is a founding director of The News Magazine.
Ajibade according to Wikipedia was educated at the Obafemi Awolowo University and has a Bachelor’s in English Studies and a Masters in Literature-In-English from the same institution.
He has worked as Senior Correspondent at The African Concord, Assistant Editor at The African Guardian, and as Executive Editor of TheNEWS and P.M. News.
In 1998, he was a scholar of the Feuchtwanger Fellowship.[3]
In 1995, the military administration of Sani Abacha announced the arrest of a number of Nigerians on suspicion of participating in a coup attempt. The list included former head of state Olusegun Obasanjo, his deputy Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, among others.[4]
During the trial of the coup plotters, TheNews, one of Nigeria’s prominent investigative and combative news magazines published a story titled “Not Guilty – Army Panel Clears Coup Suspects.” And though he was no longer the editor of the paper as he was earlier in the year, because his name appeared on the mast head, Ajibade was targeted for arrest.[5][6]
He was charged for ‘publishing materials which could obstruct the work of the coup plotters tribunal’ and for ‘misleading the public’.[7] The crime was being “‘as an accessary after the fact of treason” and the punishment was life in prison. It was the first time journalists would be tried (and convicted) with coup plotters in the country.[8]
Other journalists arrested at the same time were George Mbah of Tell Magazine, Chris Anyanwu of The Sunday Magazine, and Ben Obi of the Weekend Classique.[9][10]
They were all convicted and sentenced to life in jail, while Yar’adua was sentenced to death. Ajibade was taken to Makurdi prisons, according to him, “to die incrementally”.[11]
There was international outcry and the sentence for Ajibade was reduced to 15 years.[12]
On 8 June 1998, General Abacha died in office. Ajibade was released on 18 July of that year by General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
