The
late Odunewu, who wrote with the pen name Allah De, was former Editor
of the Daily Times ,died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. He
was 85.
His Allah De column was for many years the delight of readers
for its wit, simplicity and humour. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
His remains will be buried today at the prestigious Vaults and Garden, Ikoyi, Lagos at 3pm. He is survived by three children.
It was widely acknowledged by his contemporaries that few loved journalism like Allah De. He was one of those rare specimens born for a time and a profession.
According to Felix Adenaike, a former editor of the Tribune, “Alade Odunewu was a great craftsman who lived journalism”.
Former Managing Director
of The Guardian Mr. Lade Bonuola said: “Oga was a titan, even in the
fast depleting generation of the masters. The other day it was Unuegbu.
He was an exceedingly gifted writer who always had very close by his
armoury of humour, ranking with Baker of New York Times and Cameron of
Daily Express in humour and Bernard Levin of The Times of London in
seriousness and mastery of language.
“Of course, Cassandra of the Daily Mirror
of whom he was a proud disciple. A product of Regent Polytechnic, he
was one of the early elite that ruled our great Kingdom that the Daily
Times was. He was the best all-round final student at Regent. He was a moral compass who yield, space to none in integrity.
“With
the departure of his wife last year, he lost his accustomed ebullient
will to live. He was kept going by his wonderful children – Ebun, Akanni
and Segun. When a person like that departs, it is as if a part of you
is gone. So is a part of Nigeria’s history.”
The late Odunewu was
also acknowledged as one of the founding fathers of Nigerian journalism
who continued to support the industry many years after his retirement
from active practice of the profession. He was the chairman of the
Nigeria Press Council (NPC) and Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the
Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA).
Allah De began his journalism
career at the Daily Times as a reporter after his secondary education at
the New Bethel College, Onitsha, Anambra State but fate seemed to have a
higher calling for him as he secured a Federal Government scholarship
to study Journalism at the Regent Street Polytechnic London- now
University of Westminster.
He was a star in London, winning the
Commonwealth New Statesman Prize for the best all-round student and also
working for a number of British newspapers- a rare feat at the time and
even now- before returning home.
Between 1950-56, the late Odunewu
worked at the Daily Times as a reporter and sub-editor. He left to
become the Managing Editor of the African Press Limited Ibadan,
publishers of the Nigerian Tribune. That was 1956 and 1957. Odunewu
spent four years, between 1960 and 1964, as the Editor-in-Chief of the
Allied Newspapers of Nigeria before he left to become the Editor, Sunday
Times, in 1964.
He rose through the ranks at the Daily Times
before he was appointed editor of the paper, coming after Peter Enahoro
who was initially known as “George Sharp” and later as Peter Pan. The
late Odunewu’s time as the editor of the most prestigious newspaper at
the time has been described with many charitable adjectives by those who
worked with him. While Peter Pan was a “great writer”, Odunewu was
adjured to have combined his fine writing skill with even a greater
talent as an editor of the paper.
Perhaps one of the lasting
legacies of the departed journalist is his “ Allah De” column, which has
been described by many as one of the best satires ever penned by a
Nigerian journalist. The late Nnamdi Azikwe-himself a fine writer-
described the late Odunewu as the dean of Nigerian satirical writing.
“Satire
is the stuff of his work, master of the well-placed innuendo. Odunewu
called attention to the follies and foibles of his era without wounding
the vanities of the men and women of the moment,” Journalism teacher and
The Nation Editorial Adviser Olatunji Dare once wrote in 2007.
Encomiums
were pouring in last night from his contemporaries and those who knew
him only through his writings. Henry Odukomaiya, who took over from him
as the Editor of the Daily Times said: “ I am shocked, saddened to learn
from you about the sudden departure of my great boss, Alade Odunewu
whose pseudonym was Allah De which was the name of the column he gave
birth to when he was Editor-in-chief of the Daily Times.”
Odukomaiya
had a flattery reminiscence of the character of the writer. “The Allah
De that I knew was one of the most accommodating bosses that anybody
could have, I mean every word of what I am saying. He never offended
anybody, he did his job to the best of his ability and his ability was
quite high. He was very jocular and that reflected in every of his
writing. He was elegant too. He didn’t take life too seriously.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have a good matrimonial life.
Adenaike
remembered the late Odunewu as a great mentor to the younger generation
of journalists and a great craftsman. “That was the father of
journalism. Nigerian journalism has lost one of its founding fathers,
and he was a great mentor to the younger ones. He wrote a column Allah
De. He was a great humorist and satirist. He was a great craftsman. He
lived journalism; he published two books – Winner takes all which was
the compilation of his columns into two volumes.”
Sam Amuka Pemu,
publisher of The Vanguard said of the late Allah De: “He was a fine
fellow; we will miss him.” Mr. Femi Kusa former Editor of the Guardian,
described him as a great columnist who was very careful and diplomatic
in his writings.
There were others too who paid glowing tributes
to a man who gave his life for journalism. The chairman, Nigerian Union
of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council, Deji Elumoye, said the late
Odunewu was a foremost journalist who never did anything else but
journalism. “He talked about proper practices of journalism and was
always willing to advise the NUJ. We will miss him,” he said.
Former
Editor of The Sunday Times Gbolabo Ogunsanwo believed the profession
has lost one of its heroes. “Alade Odunewu was the uncrowned dean of
newspaper columnists.”
Perhaps, few can be said to have matched the
passion and the talents of the late Odunewu, his devotion to the cause
of the journalism profession would be a model that the profession may
find hard to fill. And as he is committed to mother earth today, the
encomiums may have just begun. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
The
late Odunewu, who wrote with the pen name Allah De, was former Editor
of the Daily Times ,died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. He
was 85.
His Allah De column was for many years the delight of readers
for its wit, simplicity and humour. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
The
late Odunewu, who wrote with the pen name Allah De, was former Editor
of the Daily Times ,died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. He
was 85.
His Allah De column was for many years the delight of readers
for its wit, simplicity and humour. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
The
late Odunewu, who wrote with the pen name Allah De, was former Editor
of the Daily Times ,died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. He
was 85.
His Allah De column was for many years the delight of readers
for its wit, simplicity and humour. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
The
late Odunewu, who wrote with the pen name Allah De, was former Editor
of the Daily Times ,died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. He
was 85.
His Allah De column was for many years the delight of readers
for its wit, simplicity and humour. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
The
late Odunewu, who wrote with the pen name Allah De, was former Editor
of the Daily Times ,died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. He
was 85.
His Allah De column was for many years the delight of readers
for its wit, simplicity and humour. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
The
late Odunewu, who wrote with the pen name Allah De, was former Editor
of the Daily Times ,died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. He
was 85.
His Allah De column was for many years the delight of readers
for its wit, simplicity and humour. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
The veteran journalist Alade Odunewu former editor of the daily times died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital Lagos.He died at the age of 85 years. His remains as been buried today at the Vaults and Garden in Ikoyi Lagos around 3 p.m.According to the former editor of the tribune Felix Adenaike who described Alade as a great craftsman who lived his life as a journalist.Alade started his journalism career at the daily times as a reporter after his secondary school education at the New Bethel College in Onitsha,Anambra state of which he later gained scholarship from the Federal Government to study Journalism at the Regent street Ploytechnic in London.He has lost his wife for long and presently,survived by three children.MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE
St Nicholas Hospital
The
late Odunewu, who wrote with the pen name Allah De, was former Editor
of the Daily Times ,died yesterday at St Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. He
was 85.
His Allah De column was for many years the delight of readers
for its wit, simplicity and humour. - See more at:
http://www.gistnaija.com/#sthash.POZmzODP.dpuf
