We begin by thanking our good friends at The Nation and the leadership of our dear association, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, for giving us the opportunity to be here today to participate in what is a growing culture of appreciation for our profession, craft, and its leading lights.
We are here today to share in the joy of Olatunji Dare, emeritus professor of communication, distinguished columnist, and decorated writer and teacher, who, today, joins the esteemed league of octogenarians.
We are to examine an important genre of journalism—opinion writing. We have been asked today to lead the discussion of the topic:
Dare at 80: Same craft, changing times—the columnist as societal conscience.
The topic has at least six key words/expressions:
Dare. 80. same craft. changing times. the columnist. societal conscience.
We intend to speak to those key words and sum everything up in a conclusion that tallies with our introduction.
Who is Olatunji Dare?
He is one distinguished Nigerian from the confluence state of Kogi, who studied mass communication at the University of Lagos where he excelled as the first to earn a first class degree in the department. He later studied Journalism and obtained a master’s degree at Columbia University, New York before adding a PhD at Indiana University in Bloomington, USA. He was a lecturer in the University of Lagos before crossing over to the Guardian where he was a columnist, editorial page editor and later, chairman of the editorial board. He later fled to the United States when troubling developments to his craft and life dictated so. He taught in Bradley University, Peoria rising to be an emeritus professor. He is the author of Matters Arising (1993), a selection from his collected journalism, and Diary of a Debacle: Tracking Nigeria’s failed Democratic Transition, 1986-1994. He had a festschrift, Intellectuals, the Public Square & the Public Spirit: Essays in Honour of Olatunji Dare published in 2014 to mark his 70th birthday. Professor Dare has written columns for such publications as the Guardian, Comet, and the Nation.
His writings have been commended for their depth, wit, and felicitous use of language. He is the recipient of various awards, namely: the pioneer DAME Award for Informed Commentary in 1992, the 1995 Louis M. Lyon’s Prize for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism by the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, in acknowledgement of his unwavering commitment to journalism’s best practices; the Faculty Award in Teaching Excellence and the Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarship from the Slane College of Communication and Fine Arts, and the President’s Prize for Meritorious Service from Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, where he was a full professor until August 2015 when, on his retirement, he was named Professor of Journalism, Emeritus. And lastly, the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME). By his output and mentorship, he has influenced different generations of writers who occupy important positions in the media, government, and industry. Today, he remains a respected member of the tribe of informed critics who continue to offer guidance and perspectives that are germane to the orderly growth and development of society.
What is significant about being 80?
Professor Dare joins the League of Octogenarians, today, July 17, 2024. Ordinarily, 80-year olds have seen life and are, therefore, experienced, exposed, and knowledgeable individuals who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers, and who are not easily surprised. They are also vulnerable people, whose physical strength tends to diminish. As their bones are prone to shrinking in size and density, coordination and stability may be affected. The United Nations in 2023 put global life expectancy at 70.8 years for males and 76 years for females, giving an average of 73.4 years. In the same period, Nigeria had 55 years for males and 57 for females, giving an average of 56 years. So, by all standards, anyone who clocks 80 has done well and deserves our congratulations. But it is also a troubling feat to accomplish. Considering that at that age many childhood friends and peers may have passed on to the great beyond, it is an age that can be characterised by loneliness and a sense of disorientation. It is thus a period when relationships are deeply valued and an eighty year old requires great reassurance.
As we can see in the examples all over the world, growing old does not automatically translate to being an invalid. An eighty one year old president and a seventy eight year former president are contesting for the presidency of the United States this year with interesting questions to ponder on. Recorded history in the Bible tells us in Exodus 7:7 that Moses at 80 and his brother, Aaron at 83, jointly confronted Pharaoh on the plight of the Israelites. Ehud, in Judges 3:30, liberated the Israelites from the Moabites’ oppression and went to rule as a judge for 80 years. It is our prayer that Professor Dare, like old wine, will continue to mature, serving as a fountain of wisdom to the general public and a terror to agents of poor governance, whose god is their belly, and whose pastime is converting the commonwealth to personal wealth.
Who is a columnist?
A columnist is a writer who comments on issues of public interest in the news media regularly in an identified and identifiable medium. A columnist is a well-informed analyst, interpreter, guide, guardian who helps to bring meaning, perspectives, and insights to issues of public, communal interest. The individual who traverses the opinion sector of journalism is different from the one who reports it. The columnist is a privileged person of great intellect and wisdom, assigned to be a public oracle, “who devotes his entire time to writing a regular column and nothing else for appropriate reward by his employer” (Odunewu, 2011). Sam Amuka (2011) adds that a successful columnist is one whose absence on a particular day forces readers to make distressed calls to the publisher to find out why, “some of whom would demand repayment for their newspaper copy”.
What is the craft of column writing or informed commentary?
Column writing is the regular reflection on issues in the news that are of public interest. It is driven by the need to explain and educate the reading public on the import of that news item, pronouncement, or indeed silence on an issue. It is one where there is a lot of latitude to be creative in presenting editorial matters to the consuming public. According to Adidi Uyo (2011), a good column must contain the essential sextet: subject, substance, size, structure, significance, and style. He adds, “The importance of the column derives from the power of opinion to influence and shape men’s [and women’s] mind”. For more on the subject, read, Nigerian Columnists and their Art, edited by Lanre Idowu (2011) and The Columnist’s Companion by Dan Agbese (2012).
How is a columnist the conscience of society?
Society is such a large construct, which goes beyond face-to-face interaction and communication. To understand social phenomena—occurrences, pronouncements, trends, and actions—society always needs perspectives, which are usually available through various channels of communication—the traditional media of newspapers, television, radio, the social media platforms of the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tiktok, and generally on the information superhighway of the internet, which provides access to websites. In this vast world where information of all hues, shapes, and sizes traffic daily, it is bewildering to be able to navigate it successfully without the guide of experts or knowledgeable individuals who can provide the required contexts, perspectives, and insights to help the public form informed opinions and make reasonable decisions. This is the context which provides the need for columnists on various subjects. They serve as the eyes and ears of society. With the reach of their platforms, they ask questions the ordinary folk may not be able to pose; they provide answers with their insights, they provoke responses that officialdom may have otherwise ignored. They help to shape public policy. They are courted, feared, and respected when they remain faithful to their craft.
Same craft, changing times
As there will always be the need to understand whatever is happening in society, so will there be a need for columnists to advise, guide, and educate the public. The columnist as an interpreter of social reality is well positioned to advise and guide as a pathfinder and a town-crier. That is how it was; that is how it is and that is how it will be. Knowledge can never be the monopoly of an individual, but a treasured resource available to those who search for it or know where to find it. Columnists, the informed ones that is, who set out to persuade with depth and style, will always be relevant. They can be found within the ranks of these past recipients of the DAME honour: the Sam Amukas, Olatunji Dares, the Ray Ekpus, Dan Agbeses, Abdu Rafius, Adebayo Williamses, Reuben Abatis, Azu Ishiekwenes, Sam Omatseyes, Lasisi Olagunjus, and the Lekan Sotes. They can also be found without, amongst the Tola Adeniyis, Sonala Olumhenses, the Sully Abus, Femi Osofisans, Olakunle Abimbolas, Eniola Bellos, and many others. They include those who have since returned to their Makers, the likes of Nnamdi Azikiwe, JV Clinton, Anthony Enahoro, Bisi Onabanjo, Lateef Jakande, Herbert Unegbu, Alade Odunewu, Ebenezer Williams, MCK Ajuluchukwu, Tunji Oseni, Gbolabo Ogunsanwo, Peter Enahoro, and Stanley Macebuh—all of blessed memories.
We sum up by saying that the craft of informed commentary has always been germane to the education function of the media. Society always requires guidance on many issues in the public space. As access to information becomes increasingly democratised in this digital age, columnists must continually update their knowledge base, to offer opinions and perspectives that are robustly informed if they want to continue to earn society’s respect.
Conclusion
It is left for me to thank the organisers—the Guild of Editors and the editorial leadership of the Nation newspapers—for giving us a welcome opportunity to celebrate a giant in our industry, a Nigerian patriot, and an accomplished teacher. When we celebrate the best amongst us, we are actually celebrating ourselves and saying to the world that we are not defined by the shenanigans of the tiny few who blight the image of our country and our profession. We are also saying that our country can grow in a welcome direction when we deepen the culture of appreciation in the media, in the arts, the sciences, and other spheres of national life. May God Almighty continue to bless the tribe of informed columnists, conscientious journalists, and dedicated editors! And may our country, Nigeria, overcome its challenges in our lifetime.
*Idowu is CEO & Editor-in-Chief of Diamond Publications Ltd.