Lekan Otufodunrin previews The Vanguard Chronology: 40 Years of Nigeria’s Leading Tabloid by the Vanguard Media Alumni Association which offers memorable recollections and insights on the of the birth, challenges and growth of newspaper.
Publisher of BusinessDay Newspaper, Mr Frank Aigbogun, was a reporter with The Guardian in 1984 when he was told that the publisher of Vanguard Newspaper, Mr Sam Amuka, wanted to see him. At the brief meeting, Amuka, popularly called Uncle Sam, asked Aigbogun to tell him a little about the book he was reading at the time.
“And when I was done, he asked me when I would be resuming. I responded immediately. ‘If half of what I have heard about you is true, then you are the one we want here,’ Uncle Sam told me.
“The interview was over, and this began my 14-year sojourn at Vanguard, years that turned out to be some of the best of my life,” Aigbogun, who was hired as the pioneer News Editor and rose to become Editor before leaving the newspaper, recalled in his contribution to a new book, The Vanguard Chronology: 40 Years of Nigeria’s Leading Tabloid, to be launched in Lagos on August 19, 2026.
Publisher of The New Americans Magazine in Columbus, Ohio, United States, Deba Uwadiae, was the first rookie reporter/intern at Vanguard at its inception. Among other assignments, he was assigned by Aigbogun to cover the repatriation of Ghanaians.
He returned to Vanguard in 1991 as Political Correspondent and was later redeployed to Lagos Airport and the Education Desk, from where he eventually resigned from the newspaper.
“It is 40 years since the publishing of the Vanguard Newspapers, where journalism began for me in June 1984. I am grateful to the publisher, Uncle Sam Amuka, for giving many of us that platform and opportunity at that time to begin our reporting by walking into the Canal and getting a job without knowing ‘anybody,’” Uwadiae wrote in his contribution to the book, which he co-edited with Dr Jossy Nkwocha and Pastor Eyobong Ita.
Aigbogun and Uwadiae are among 45 former staff and a few active staff members who contributed insightful and compelling recollections of the birth, challenges and growth of Vanguard, which remains one of the top legacy daily newspapers in the country.
As the Chairman of the book project, Dr Jossy Nkwocha, stated in the introduction, the contributions are spectacular in several ways, as they tell uncommon stories that make Vanguard stand out, as well as stories of resilience and thinking outside the box for fresh ideas from which present-day media professionals can learn.
If Uncle Sam, who was also a co-founder of The Punch, had not yielded to pressure from his friends to publish a newspaper, he would have continued running the fishing company he started after leaving The Punch, according to recollections by the pioneer General Manager, Ralph Ibiwoye.
All the former Daily Editors of the paper, including the incumbent, Eze Anaba, top editorial staff, reporters and others shared memorable details of how they joined the paper, the amazing work they did, their relationship with the publisher, the fun times they had at the ‘Canal’ headquarters and many more in their compelling narratives.
One instructive lesson the editors learnt from Mr Amuka is that a good editor is one who knows what he or she should not publish.
As veteran journalist and former Ogun State Governor, Chief Segun Osoba, noted, The Vanguard Chronology: 40 Years of Nigeria’s Leading Tabloid is indeed a worthy tribute to the exploits of the publisher and his team over a 40-year period, which commenced in 1984.
Like the earlier memoirs on The Punch Newspaper, Our Punch Years, and The Guardian, The Making of the FLAGSHIP, The Vanguard Chronology is a commendable effort by the Vanguard Media Alumni Association to document invaluable media history and experience for posterity.
Beyond being an historical record, the book, hopefully, as Convener, Vanguard Media Alumni Association, Pastor Ita desires, will inspire future generations of media practitioners and reinforce the importance of ethical and courageous journalism.
