Journalism is a profession and a business. So, do not be too shocked that today our subject of discourse is a renowned journalist who recently turned 70 years on this plane of awareness and we are celebrating him. So it was for journalism colossus and egghead, Ray Ekpu, who turned 70 years old on Monday, August 6, this year. It was an occasion that should ordinarily warrant rolling out of drums to celebrate. But, as it is for serious journalists, Ray as he is fondly called, preferred to have a colloquium organised on leadership in Nigeria to celebrate the occasion.
There is no doubting that attaining the ripe age of three scores and ten years by a journalist who has witnessed the hazards of the profession many times on this plane of awareness and, in a country like Nigeria that is full of vicissitudes and where life expectancy is at best 50 years, is not by any personal might but by the sheer grace of the most High God. I therefore rejoice with Ray Ekpu for attaining 70 years in the land of the living.
The business of journalism and newspapering is fraught with a lot of hazards and only a few journalists go through such hazards and remain alive. Ray is one of such lucky journalists. He has been harassed and detained many times by overzealous security officials, not because he committed any infraction against the law of the land but for truly making fair comments on subjects of public concern.
I have known Ray since September 1972, at the University of Lagos when my bosom friend, Yakubu Mohammed and I were enrolled, among other young men and a lady, Bunmi Soremekun, to read first degree in Mass Communications in the university. Ray Ekpu and Dan Agbese were in their final class. Students took university education as serious affairs in those days. So, we were only seeing them once in a while and we would only exchange pleasantries with them.
I knew he took appointment at the Nigerian Chronicle and later at the Daily Times Group. By the time he joined the Daily Times group, Yakubu and I were already at the New Nigerian Newspapers. But, it was at the Concord group of newspapers that we became closer. Yakky was the Editor of the National Concord, Ray was the Editorial Board Chairman and I was the Group News Editor. It was from the Concord Group that we went to the Newswatch where late Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese and Yakubu Mohammed were founders, while Soji Akinrinade and I were foundation Associate Editors.
Having known Ray for upwards of four scores and six years, i can say with a sense of candour that Ray is a man of integrity and equable temperament. Rather than getting annoyed on any issue, he will keep calm and remain unruffled. He is humble too and he is a man of pleasant character with great personal discipline and dignity. He is also a very patriotic journalist. On any issue, you may not like his nationalistic stand, but you will respect the way he puts his argument with unruffled measured steps and note of equanimity.
Ray is a great and contemporaneous prose writer of our time who weaves words to drive his point home with a lot of dexterity. No wonder, he has been described by readers of his articles and intellectuals alike as Nigeria’s real wordsmith of our time.
I sincerely hope that Ray will one day find time to write his own biography so that journalists and entrepreneurs coming behind can learn one thing or the other from it. Biographies are useful for those coming behind and for filling the gaps in our national history. For example, if Mungo Park and the other early explorers did not leave records of their explorations to this part of the world, perhaps there would have been many yawning gaps in the history of our
country.
So far, Ray has made many indelible marks on the sands of time and even as he moves past 70 years I do not doubt his ability to make more indelible marks before he finally quits this plane of
awareness.
There are many lessons for us to learn from Ray’s life so far. One is that we must be very committed, patriotic and always be ready to defend whatever will further strengthen Nigeria’s unity and what will make Nigeria a great nation in the world. Second, is that we must be bold, focussed and well determined, like Ray, to succeed in whatever profession we have chosen for ourselves.
On that note, I wish Ray Ekpu more useful years on this plane of awareness so that he can contribute more to the development of journalism and to nation building.
