Theodore Opara, Transport Editor

IF anyone had told me that I would spend three decades in Vanguard, I would have doubted it. How time flies. I recall my first day in Vanguard.

The late Mr. Augustine Ihejieto, the then Admin Manager, who was also my uncle, after going through my application letter as a clerical officer, invited the News Editor, Mr. Frank Aigbogun, to his office. As they were chatting, he told him: “Frank, this is my son. Please, take him and make him a better human being.” Mr. Aigbogun took me in his hand and we walked down to the newsroom.

As we strolled down, it was like I was facing another round of interview. He fired several questions at me in a commanding voice. “My friend, what is your name? How old are you? I hope you are a good boy?” All these questions came spontaneously and I responded swiftly. As I responded, Mr. Aigbogun turned and looked at me, with a smile and I felt very much at home with him. From that day on, my love for him grew by the day.

He did exactly what Mr. Ihejieto asked him to do. He took me like a kid brother and showed interest in my affairs. He told me that to achieve what my uncle wished for me, I must strive to improve myself through education as there is no shortcut to it. I was ushered into the newsroom, showed a seat in a corner close to the News Editor’s office and told that I should be at the beck and call of the News Editor and other senior editorial staff members who would need my services from time to time.

After this, I sneaked back to my uncle’s office and asked him: “Sir, I applied for the post of a clerical officer but the News Editor is giving me a different brief.” He told me to calm down that he wanted the best for me. As an inquisitive teenager, I asked him, what was I employed as and he replied: “Copy Boy.”

Honestly, I had never heard of such a position before and there was no Google then to ask. When I made inquiries later, I was told that Copy Boy is a messenger in the newsroom. I was sober throughout the day in the office to the extent that I didn’t want to go to the office the next day. But when my father whom I was living with then, may his soul rest in peace, discovered that I was not preparing for work the next morning, and demanded an explanation and my answer did not go down well with him, he asked me if I knew how most great men started their career in life.

He encouraged me to go to work while seeking admission into high school. I grudgingly went back to work. I received a kind of moral boost when the News Editor asked me to take a story on phone from one of our state correspondents. It was a day that all the reporters had gone out on assignment. After submitting the stories to Mr. Aigbogun, he looked at me again and smiled. That gave me further confidence that my boss was impressed with what I did. The next day, he told all the reporters to go for their assignments outside the office, adding that henceforth “Theodore would take the stories.” From that day, I started feeling important and told myself that I could do it like any other reporter in the Newsroom. 

The News Room setting

The Newsroom had various departments like the Sub-Desk, headed by Alhaji Kola Animashaun of blessed memory. Working with him were Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, our former editor-in-chief; Sam Sewinor, Niran Malaolu, who later became a Commissioner in Ogun State; Austin Bade, and one Mr. Oye. They were all Sub-Editors who knew their job and were very careful not to make any mistake.

There was also the Business Desk, headed by Mr. Austin Nkwocha, the fair guy with staff like Terry Adewala, Angela Ikediala and a few others. In the Features department was a crack team headed by Mr. Eli Obasi. He had staff like Uche Onyebadi, Siaka Momoh, Samuel Kayode, Ogbonnaya Amadi, while Mr. Eghosa was in charge of the Foreign Desk.

Vanguard was populated by brilliant young reporters, including Mr. Eze Anaba, our current Editor, Tony Okenedo, Anayo Okoli, Monica Ivijero, Doyin Okoji, Medline Tador, Joe Egbe, Philo Tosan, Dupe Singer, Bunmi Salako. Most of these ladies could win the beauty queen if they had contested. On the Sport Desk then were Mr. Chris Okojie, Ikeddy Isiguzo, both became Sports Editor and Deputy Editor before leaving. Onoche Anibeze, Eyobon Ita, and Philip and some others whose names I have forgotten. All these fine journalists made Vanguard one of the most entertaining papers in those days. The urge to be like these hard-working reporters led me to start working towards becoming a journalist. But one particular incident was key.

One day, one of the ladies, Bunmi Salako, was doing a vox pop and could not get enough people to comment. She threw the question at me and the next day she published the comments and addressed me as a journalist. That was what spurred me. I went to NIJ for my National Diploma and later got a degree in International Relations.

As a Copy Boy, which I became proud of later, there were things that I still recall with nostalgia. I remember how Medline Tador used to address me as head of department when she came demanding her complimentary Vanguard copy from me. One day, I asked her why she usually addressed me like that and she said: “Don’t you know that the other copy boys are working under you; so you are a HOD.” I burst into laughter.

I could also recall how Alhaji Animashaun would send me to Kirikiri to buy candle for production anytime NEPA struck. He would ask me to run as fast as I could so that they could complete the editing on time. Though it was not always a usual occurrence.

My happiest moment, however, was the day I was converted from Copy Boy to a reporter. It was a few weeks after my final exams at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism and the man who received me on my first day in the newsroom had become the Editor of the newspaper. He wrote to the Admin Manager to convert me to a reporter.

That was how I rose from a Copy Boy to a Reporter and eventually became a Line Editor.

I have received favours all the way; from Alhaji Kola Animashaun, who saw me as a son to Frank Aigbogun, who treated me like a kid brother to Gbenga Adefaye, my mentor, who sees me as a younger blood brother; it has been love all the way.

As a reporter, I covered several beats, including Arts, Judiciary, Property and Environment and now Motoring beat, which has taken me to almost every continent and the best hotels across the globe. 

Vanguard News