Tribute to a Doyen of the Press

 Adeu Uncle Tony Momoh, my Mentor

_Abu Uwesu Yakub

He was my role model and reason that I chose journalism for a profession.

He was General Manager, Times Newspaper Training Centre TNTC later renamed Times Journalism Institute TJI in 1984 when I studied journalism in the institution. We were 17 students in the post graduate class. Prince Tony promised that the best four in the final examination would get employed in the Daily Times Newspaper. That is how Femi Ajayi, one time Executive Director at Petroleum Trust Fund during the Jonathan administration, Ndubuisi Ugbede, who later became DG of TJI and my humble self got employed in the Daily Times. Mr Godwin Ajairo who came second in the class went to further his course in UI and didn't get to work in Daily Times.

In 1985, he sent me to Auchi, our town to supervise the arrangement of books in the library in the house he completed building in Auchi that year. He indeed loved books. I remember the day I visited his Anthony Vilkage residence, Lagos when he was Minister of Information Under Gen. Ibrahim Babangida to tell him that I was tired of visiting his house without him ever reciprocating. He smiled and prayed for me asking God to let me rise and become another Tony Momoh in my life and witness the kind of pressure that goes with it.

 About 2005 when I was inaugurated chairman , Lagos Branch of University of Benin Alumni Association, UBAA, he was chairman at the occasion.

Fast forward to  about November 14, 2020 when I visited Abuja where Prince breathed his last today. I called him to let him know that I was coming over for a brief visit. He declined saying that he had not been opened to visitors since about March 2020 due to the Covid scourge.

However, he called me up two days later to confirm that I arrive Lagos safely. He followed later with a Christmas message that was so philosophically enriching that it is still in my phone memory even now.

The theme was, "WHAT WOULD YOU BE REMEMBERED FOR WHEN YOU DEPART MOTHER EARTH?".

He was that close to me and I feel pains as I write this. My consolation is that the Yerima of Auchi Kingdom lived such a successful life that the world would stand up to say THIS WAS A MAN.