Revisiting Femi Sonaike’s exploits in the newsroom, classroom
THIS is not an in- depth profile of a Nigerian journalist and academic. It is a tribute to Prof. Femi Sonaike, whose pursuits in news reporting in the newsroom of Daily Times on Kakawa Street, Lagos in the 1960s and 70s established him as a complete journalist during his active years in Nigeria’s oldest newspaper.
His death from cancer in the United States of America in 2006 shocked all his professional colleagues, friends and relations as well as the Nigerian media.
We grew up together as entrants into journalism in the newsroom of Daily Times. We had a couple of news editors as our heads in the prestigious Daily Times.
Kakawa Street was then a replica of London’s Fleet Street, which was once under the control of the print media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, whose newspaper empire comprising The Times of London, Sunday Times, News of the World and other titles ruled supreme in the UK.
At the same time, Daily Times, under the able control of newspaper legend, Alhaji ( Dr.) Ismail Babatunde Jose, had over a dozen publications and a vast business empire.
Looking back at our years of life in Daily Times, the newsroom was alive with great reporters including, Olusegun Osoba, aka, ‘ Sir James’, Jibade Adams, Jibade Thomas ‘ Paul Pry’, Adio Saka, Femi Sonaike, Dayo Duyile, Bunmi Thomas, Bunmi Iyeru, Victor Dorgu, and a host of others.
We were all good at news reporting but two of us were outstanding: Segun Osoba and Femi Sonaike. They were in a class of their own as star reporters.
The difference was that Osoba had a vast and extensive list of news sources, which he depended upon for top of the page items and scoops. They were his news reservoir while Femi Sonaike had the flair for news interviewing and on the spot reporting. His personal quest for success as a journalist brought him into prominence, when his news reports made national headlines.
I recall one of his great reports which be recorded somewhere in Surulere Street, Lagos. It was a case of cold- blooded murder. The victim was killed while planting plantain and banana nurseries in his garden early in the morning, but because nobody was nearby, the assailant had done his worst and escaped, but he was not lucky enough.
When Sonaike arrived at the scene of murder gathering information for publication, he stumbled on an identity card, which, he reported as one of the items found at the scene of murder and a short- cutlass suspected to have been used in the attack. His report at the back page of Daily Times assisted police investigation which led to the arrest of the suspect, who eventually, after his trial was condemned to death at the Lagos Assizes.
Sonaike covered the trial of the accused from the beginning to the end and reported the judgment. In this particular case, Soniake exhibited the traits of an investigative journalist.
He carried out a lot of such reportorial exploits. Attitudinally, Femi Sonaike was real gentleman of the press. He was always a good listener and not quick in response to any discussion.
He later quit the newsroom for the academia and earned a Ph. D. degree. Between 1967 and 1988 when he took to academics he went to Ogun State Polytechnic to help develop the educational institution and made a success of his term at the Polytechnic, and later went to Asia and America on Sabbatical but at the end of that overseas trip, Sonaike returned to the Daily Time once again as Political editor.
I think that was when Osoba was the Managing Director of Daily Times and probably Sonaike returned there on Osoba’s invitation.
As expected of him, his return was as good, if not better than his first sojourn at Kakawa Street—- Moving from newsroom and returning to journalism, only to return to academics as his final occupation.
Even in the classroom, Prof. Sonaike had a unique way of imparting knowledge for in- depth comprehension by the students. A classical example was during the 2004/ 2005 academic session of the School of Communication, Lagos State University ( LASU) then quartered at Adegunwa House at Ojuelegba, Surulere, Lagos.
For master’s class, Sonaike was handling the course tagged, ‘ Digital Media’ and he would come to the school with his small generating set in case there was no supply of public electricity so that alternative power could be provided for students to undertake the practical aspect of the course.
Indeed, Sonaike demonstrated his loyalty to both journalism and academics and paid his dues. Perhaps this was responsible for the recent honour done to him at the Joseph Ayo Babalola University, at Ikeji- Arakeji, Osun State. Standing like a rock painted in eyefriendly colours between the law faculty buildings and the block of offices in the IkejiArakeji main campus of JABU, is the magnificent building bearing bold inscriptions in capital letters: Prof. Femi Sonaike Journalism Building.
The building was recently donated by his brother, Prof. Kola Olufunso Sonaike ( Jnr), the Vice- Chancellor of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, who, unfortunately, passed on, on Monday, March 21, 2022.
It was a tragedy as the university campus was thrown into great mourning on the sudden death of Sonaike ( Jnr), who, the university community at Ikeji, judged as one of the best Vice- Chancellors that came to work at the institution ( JABU).
He was very sound in mind and was highly development oriented in his administration. May his soul rest in peace.
As we mourn the passing of Sonaike ( jnr), in the weeks ahead, his many virtues will continue to be extoled by the Senate of the University, the academic and non- academic staff and the entire of Christ Apostolic Church ( CAC), the proprietor of the University.
The works he did at the university within his two years as Vice- Chancellor speak volumes in his favour as a remarkable administrator. One of his contributions to academic development at JABU is the subject of this article. Prof Sonaike ( Jnr) should have lived to see this article published but he never did. I had told him during our last meeting that I was writing on my reminiscence on my friend, Prof Femi Sonaike, and on our past experiences in the Daily Times. He would have loved to read my reminiscences on his elder brother.
Femi Sonaike though had competing interests in his academic and journalism careers, used his doctoral degree training and his journalism/ mass communication skill to produce scores of young entrants into the profession in print and broadcast media.
Those trained by him at the Ogun State Polytechnic and at his university in America are already occupying high positions in their chosen fields.
Looking back at our days in Daily Times, Femi was one of the consummate reporters, who consistently produced thorough and well- researched news reports. He was a complete journalist who mastered the craft before veering into academics. The hallmarks of Femi Sonaike’s work in Daily Times newsroom both as a reporter and later as a political editor of the newspaper were his enviable journalistic skill, dedication to truth through painstaking research and fairness to all concerned.
In our leisure times, he would talk about his dream to go into academics and also to climb the professorial ladder. We joked a lot on his ambitions but he was determined going about his plans and executing them resolutely. It was he, among other friends, who pleaded with me to follow his path and go into academics after I might have been done with the newsroom. I later bought his idea and went for my PHD degree programme, which I had been nursing for many years. In this sense, Femi Sonaike had become a role model.
In my view and judging from my experiences and association with him during our days at Daily Times and during his exit from Nigeria, living in America, Femi Sonaike was a journalist of the highest calibre. His writings were educational, candid and impartial, while his pen strived for solutions that would help society’s development. In our days in the eclectic newsroom on Kakawa Street, Daily Times reporters were respected for their professionalism and their forthrightness.
As for Femi Sonaike , he was a person who was never afraid to express his opinions, no matter how controversial, so long as he felt that he was right.
He will ever be missed in the Nigerian media landscape.
For all those attributes of a good journalist, his flair for academics and his other stellar contributions to journalism and academics he will be remembered for posterity.
It is, therefore, worthy of note that, the great edifice built in his honour by his now late brother, Prof Sonaike, will remain standing forever in his honour at the JABU campus like the Idanre hill in Ondo State.
The edifice built in Sonaike’s honour houses mass communication studios for Radio, Television and PRAD productions. The university plans to use the magnificent building as a training centre for students and other persons interested in journalism profession.
Adieu Prof. Femi Sonaike…! Adieu Prof Kola Olufunso Sonaike!!