By Owei Lakemfa, former Labour Editor/ Columnist  

I was unemployed in January 1985. My friend, Femi Aborishade asked me to accompany him to the Volkswagen factory to service his car.

On our way home, we had to drive through Mile 2. I asked him if I could say hello to some colleagues who had moved to the newly established ‘Vanguard Newspapers’ None was on seat but somebody encouraged me to see the publisher, Mr Sam Amuka. I had never met him. His secretary asked if I had an appointment and I answered in the negative.

He told me the publisher was about leaving. A few minutes later, Uncle Sam, as he is affectionately called, came out of his office. As he walked past, he asked me why I was in his office. I replied that I was a journalist who wanted a job.

On the corridor he asked where I was working. I replied that I had been sacked some months before for leading a journalists strike. He replied: “That does not make you a journalist. Go and source for two news stories, write two feature articles and bring them.” I told him I did not need to source for news stories as I was always abreast of news.

I sat down, wrote two stories, handed them over to the Acting News Editor and left. Early next morning, Chris Mammah, my neighbour across the fence called out to ask why I had not informed him I had gotten a job in ‘Vanguard’. I was stunned when I saw one of my two stories as the lead. I rushed to ‘Vanguard’ only to be further surprised; my second story was the lead in the advance edition published earlier in the day for circulation in far parts of the country.

I met Uncle Sam, and he casually said I should go to my office in the newsroom. That was how I realised that I had been hired. The recruitment process was as easy as that; once you can show competence, no matter where you come from, including outside Nigeria, you joined the team.

The newspaper was breezy; the stories were ‘short and sharp’ the editorials, concise and the features, tailored for everybody. It was a full package for the family with generous content for women and consumers. The newspapers’ motto: “Towards a better life for the people’ resonated with my spirit. Everybody was encouraged to report news, write features and opinion.

To enhance this, a two-column down page “Personal View” was created and all were invited to write short opinion pieces. That was how a number of us, learnt the ropes in column-writing.

‘Vanguard’ was also a relaxed atmosphere with a restaurant called ‘The Canal’ which had good food and lots of drinks including beer. Some staff, after writing their stories, retired there and boozed, sometimes on credit. At a point, the credit profile became so high that there was the danger of Mr Abu, the barman liquidating.

So we set up the ‘Abu Must Balance Committee’.

Uncle Sam had friends in high places including then Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida. When we wrote stories highly critical of the regime, he would chuckle, and say: “Don’t forget Babangida is my friend.” As it turned out, Babangida was nobody’s friend as he did not hesitate to shut down the Vanguard in 1990.

Also, the then Deputy Editor, Chris Okojie was detained on the ridiculous allegation of coup plotting. One of us, George Onah was detained without trial for a long spell under dehumanising conditions. The Vanguard due to its credibility and flexibility has survived many crises, including military dictatorship, newsprint crunch, financial crisis and unfavourable business climate.

Perhaps the greatest challenge to the print media is the internet age that requires round-the-clock reports and, news breaks that are rapid and continuous like a waterfall. It has also encouraged fake news, disinformation, truth distortion and the rise of citizen journalism in which anybody with an internet-compliant cell phone can dabble into journalism.

These, including on-line reading, has led to the collapse of many newspapers in the world. The Vanguard remains standing, 40 years later because of its solid foundations. It is a worthy celebration even when the terrain before it appears far rougher and, climate change makes any weather forecast a pointless exercise.