Daniels’ judgement on me

Mo ti gba leta ayo…

The date was August 27, 2024. On the verge of completing the examinations of the immediate past set of final-year students in the indomitable Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, LASU, I got a bumper harvest. It was the maturation of some ripe, two-year-old seeds I had cultivated with students who were members of my feature writing class. I have had the honour of teaching or co-teaching that course as lead tutor for ten continuous years or more — without break

At the commencement of classes for every set, I have always diffused the otherwise formal atmosphere of the classroom. This is by asking them to always ensure that writing feature articles may require resetting their mood to one similar to that suitable for writing love letters: your reader must find you irresistible; indeed must read and possibly re-read you on account of the good flow of the prose.

But the concept of a love letter is some fantasy for Gen Zs. Following the disruptive impact of social media, therefore, I lament, year after year, that this new generation of students is missing a lot. I often recall for them how enthralling love letters of the years past used to be. It amuses them endlessly but remains sheer imagination. Some of them have, however, demonstrated good writing skills as the course progressed, genuinely aspiring to reach good heights in the communication of events, issues, emotions and images.

Daniel Nworie happened to be one of such students in the 2024 set. He crowned it all with what I consider his obviously judgmental, love letter to me. Indeed, the love letter of the year 2024.

Read on: “Good morning to you, Prof. I just want to use this moment to express my sincerest gratitude to you for the fatherly role you’ve played in my life these past years. As I prepare to take my last paper as an undergraduate this morning, I feel a lot of things, but in the midst of these contrasting emotions, my mind is so clear about a few, and one of them is my gratefulness to God for making me meet you, Prof. You may not understand the role you have played in my life, but I know where I am coming from and the clarity that simply observing the simplicity and manner with which you do things has given me.

“When I stepped into this school, I hoped to the heavens that I will do all I can to learn the ropes of Journalism, and explore as much as I can, but few weeks into school, I was awash with the narrative that Journalists are poor people and don’t amount to something tangible in life. It broke me. I was advised to learn something else and not waste my time writing.

“But when I met you, and with my initial interactions with you in the course of my level’s magazine production, I renewed my commitment to pursuing the dreams that brought me to school. The confusion and lack of clarity that reigned over me for two years was decimated. I observed the passion with which you did your duty and the palpable results that followed it, and I was convinced that indeed, passion, diligence, simplicity and trust in God are the ingredients for true success. I am now renewed and determined to pursue my dreams with such tenacity as I have seen from you.

“Today, as I prepare to bow out from school, I have no idea what my next phase will look like, as it is all in God’s hands, but I will launch into this phase, whatever it is, with tenets that I have gleaned from you, sir. You inspire me in many ways, and I am grateful for the opportunity to know you. I am grateful for the gift of access you have given me, and I do not take it for granted at all.

“Today, as I gear up to leave the four walls of this citadel, I promise to make you a proud father, and I won’t stop telling all that cares to hear, the important role you play in my life, and what a wonderful person you are.

“Thank you so much once more sir, and God bless you real good.”

Such was the extent to which I cherished this extraordinary note that I felt compelled to share it on my Facebook page on January 1, 2025. The reception that welcomed it from my friends and relations was overwhelming. Thus began a harvest of love and books. A whopping 10 interesting volumes for my Dan.

Distinguished Senator Babafemi Ojudu blazed the trail. Impressed by the message of the very appreciative Dan, as I fondly hail my guy, Ojudu modestly reached out for Daniel’s telephone number. The senator later invited Daniel over and cheerfully handed out two copies of his newly published best-seller, the 303-page Adventures of a Guerilla Journalist. One copy for Dan and the other for me.

I had known the renowned journalist and foremost pro-democracy campaigner as a colleague since my years at Concord Press where we were both reporters. Ojudu was on the staff of the African Concord weekly magazine while I wrote for the daily, National Concord. No sooner had I reported Ojudu’s benevolence on Facebook than Lekan Otufodurin announced another kind gesture for Dan.

A self-motivated journalism veteran, he’s the executive director of a frontline media development not-for-profit called Media Career Development Network, a darling of many young journos across all genres. Otufodunrin gifted Dan six different titles including his latest publication, Our Punch Years, which has been relentlessly applauded since it was released. A groundbreaker of some sort, it has turned out to be the first publication ever jointly put together by the alumni of any newspaper company in Nigeria.

Next in line was the witty founder and chief executive of Medialogistix, Dotun Adekanmbi. Adekanmbi is the author of the biography of the legendary advertising czar, Chief Biodun Shobanjo. “I feel we should do all that’s humanly possible to encourage ambitious and promising young folks like Daniel. There are too many distractions for their generation, so the few ones we manage to spot for great future, let’s nurture them together,” Adekanmbi told me on the phone before setting out to personally come and drop biographies he had crafted on three distinguished Nigerians namely, Dr Christie Toby, wife of former Deputy Governor of Rivers State; Akogun Lanre Adesuyi and Joseph Ayoade Ogunsina.

Sunday, January 26, 2025, all the way from Abuja came Ismail Omipidan, former chief press secretary to Governor Oyetola of Osun state. My colleague and darling brother-in-law, brought Daniel and me a copy each of his newly published autobiography, Persona Non-Grata, a most sizzling and daring documentation of Omipidan’s professional life. It presents a compelling read.

Like Daniel, like Itunnu Kareem, indeed way back in 2018. A self-motivated student of political science, he had only come to our faculty to take feature writing. Itunnu did for me a full-length tribute on September 27, 2018, titled: A Cosmos on its Own…for Dr Tunde Akanni. I felt exceedingly flattered, but hear my Itunnu: “Why do I choose the word cosmos? Might it not be too big to eulogise a man? But nothing is too big to use for your role model…”

He continues: “If many others are like him, then I already foresee an era of new world beaters. That when the current legends fade away, with time as all shall someday do, the rising suns in us shall stand tall at the table of knowledge and instill that which we have inherited from men such as this…”

Itunnu had soothing words for me again following my appointment as acting head of the department of journalism in 2021: “I met a father and a role model… he is now climbing the ladder that befits men like him… it’s long overdue.”

Today, Dan and I now have a set of common benefactors and friends. Who knows if ours will ultimately blossom to the level of that of Strunk and White, teacher and student authors of the legendary, Element of Style, often recommended for most undergraduates of communication studies?

Happily, Daniels’ judgement on me finally got the official endorsement of the LASU authorities for me to ascend to the globally recognised highest academic pedestal. My full professorship is now official, alhamdulilah kathiirah.

Tunde Akanni, PhD, is a member, board of directors of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development; member, international board of advisors of Dubawa; pioneer director of the Digital Media Research Centre, LASU; director, Centre for Social Media Research, Lagos. He is a professor of journalism and development communication at the Lagos State University. Follow him on X:@AkintundeAkanni