By Banji Ayoola
His writings in his Thursday column in The Guardian drew me inwardly to him. Now it runs on Friday.
I have always felt inwardly drawn to him since 1989 when I joined The Guardian, over which he presided as the MD/Editor-in-Chief. Something inexplicable draws me to him.
We may have been coming together from afar, beyond this present earth-life. I feel it is either he had been my father or boss, a top military officer under whom I had served in earlier earthlives; with whom I had a special relationship, and for whom I had a deep respect.
I am not sure, but something keeps telling me that my relationship with Mr Bonuola could not have started only in this current earth-life; especially considering the depth of the relationship, which is beyond merely bread and butter, beyond the ordinary; and the special attraction, the magnet always pulling me strongly towards him no matter the earthly circumstances.
I was posted to the police beat when I joined The Guardian in 1989 as a reporter. Shortly after, I ran into a problem with the police. The police Inspector General, Alhaji Muhammadu Gambo ordered my arrest and detention over a story I did on the police preparations for the then coming general elections, which I wrote from a classified document. It was titled: “Police training special squad for elections.” It was the second lead of the front page.
The News Editor, Mr Wole Agunbiade, worked on the raw copy that I submitted. I marvelled at the beauty of the story after his touch. Once published, I learnt that the Inspector General had ordered my arrest and detention to force me to disclose how I got the classified papers from which I wrote the story.
One day, when I got to the Newsroom, the Editor, Mr Femi Kusa called me and said that the police were looking for me over the story. He advised me to go underground for some days to allow The Guardian to make proper arrangements to take care of me at the police cell if they detained me. I went to my residence at 16, Olonade Street, Alimoso, Agege, and cleaned the place of any material that could incriminate me or The Guardian.
After about a week, Mr Kusa called me to say that the company had made necessary arrangements to ensure that I was okay in detention. Also, he said that the company’s lawyer had been contacted. Besides he said the company was trying to arrange for a food vendor close to wherever I would be detained to be supplying me food. He thereafter advised me to go and report myself to the police. So I reported myself at the Force Headquarters, Kam Salem Building, Lagos. I was detained immediately.
I was taken before a Deputy Inspector General of Police Wash Pam, who interrogated me. I think he was in charge of Operations. He wanted to know my source of the story. I did not tell him. Thereafter he ordered me back into detention. The way his seat was arranged in his office was so intimidating that it could easily break a hardened criminal. The seat was placed at a height overlooking down below the suspect or criminal being interrogated.
One day, after some days at the Force Headquarters where I was detained, I was told I had a visitor. The MD of The Guardian! Despite his very tight schedule of running the flagship of Nigerian media! He could have sent a representative! I was dazed! I felt taller! That visit drew me inwardly closer to him, and deepened my respect and love for him. It deepened my interest in this profession and living as a reporter. It fired in me the zeal to commit myself more seriously to sourcing exclusive stories.
He asked me whether they had interrogated me and whether I disclosed to them my source of the material from which I wrote the story. I said I did not. He commended me, and asked me not to be afraid, or disturbed. He assured me that everything was being done by the company to ensure that I was okay in detention. He assured me that The Guardian had contacted our lawyer over the matter. He assured me just as Mr Kusa had done.
When I was released after about a week in detention, Mr Bonuola called me to his office, shook me and commended me warmly over the story that landed me in detention. He gave me the company prize.
Ever since, I have held him with a special respect deep within me. The brisk way he used to walk, the fast speed, the respect shown by senior colleagues while discussing him, or when he walked through the Newsroom to, or from his office, carrying a load of newspapers and documents, fascinated me.
Notably too, the Chief Sub, Alhaji Razaq Adedigba and his Deputy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, who were like twins on the Sub Desk, used to hammer it on me that The Guardian was not for routine stories, “he said, he said”, but for exclusive stories. They used to tell me repeatedly to cultivate sources at my beat who would be giving me materials, or telling me about the developments in the police for exclusive stories.
Alhaji Adedigba would call me almost every evening to his desk, with his voice ringing across the Newsroom “Banji Ayoola! Banji Ayoola!” to ask for exclusive stories, and knock me that I was “sleeping” at my beat. His Deputy, Mr Omotoso, would be adding pepper, salt, tomato, onions, and maggi.
While I was underground, a story broke out – the police took my colleagues on the police beat to the Ita Oko detention facility on the sea. The Chief Sub and his Deputy still insisted that I should have followed the police team to get good stories for The Guardian.
The pressure from these “twin brothers” on the Sub Desk challenged me and helped me to dedicate myself to getting and writing mainly exclusive stories from the police beat. It helped me also later when I was covering Ondo State as The Guardian’s Editorial Representative, and later that of The Comet, where my colleagues named me “Exclusive.”, the name they still call me today.
All the while, I had been reading Mr Bonuola’s Thursday column in The Guardian, which touched me deeply with its unusual clarification of the issues that had been bothering me, especially the Mission, Life, and crucifixion of Jesus as reported by popular history.
Right from my childhood, the Christmas period has always held a special attraction for me. The crucifixion, especially the suffering the Lord went through on Good Friday, has always touched me deep within, drawing me close to tears whenever the event was marked by Christendom. I saw the writings of the column, especially the explanations and clarity they gave on these issues and events, and others as beyond the ordinary! By the time I knew that Mr Bonuola was the columnist, the column had been an invaluable treasure to me.
In 1992, I was transferred to Akure as the editorial representative of The Guardian in Ondo State.
I recall the time that my relationship with the State Government got strained over some of my stories they did not like. Despite his tight schedule in Lagos, Oga travelled to Akure to see the governor in one of his finest hours, during his birthday celebration purposely to clear the issue between his government and me.
And many times, he would teach me about the profession. I recall the classroom sessions he used to hold for us young reporters upstairs in The Guardian, teaching us how to be good reporters.
When I was going to assume duties in Akure, Mr Bonuola called me to his office, and gave me a letter to deliver to Mrs Biola Olatunde in Akure. She received me with a special warmth showing the deep respect she had for my principal.
This woman swept me off my feet with her beautiful way of speaking the English language and her knowledge shown in the deep way she explained issues and events to me, building on the foundation already laid, and the zeal already fired in me by Mr Bonuola’s column.
I got inwardly drawn to her instantly. She and her husband, Mr Tony Olatunde, took me as their special family friend, indeed a confidant, and treated me like a prince. They became my most regular visitors in The Guardian’s office at 122, Oyemekun Road, Akure, further clarifying issues and events bothering me.
Usually, Oga visited this couple at their home and he took me along on each occasion. Over sumptuous meals, he and the couple usually discussed very warmly. Their relationship was electrifying and it drew me along also. The couple extended their special warmth and love for him to me also, his boy.
Besides, he often came to Ondo State on visits to other personalities, and he also used to take me along. I would meet him in his hotel room where he would discuss with me warmly even late into the night, explaining many issues and events. These sessions with him deepened my understanding. I would sit beside him in his car while he kept explaining issues and events deeply to me. I eagerly looked forward to his visits, to being at his feet drinking from the pure, precious water that freely flows from him to me.
And by the time Mrs Olatunde handed me a copy of the Grail Message, her clear explanations of issues and events in her magnetic voice had fired in me the zeal to seriously examine what I sensed was the source from which both she and Mr Bonuola drew their extraordinary knowledge. I read the book voraciously, in deep concentration.
While reading, she and her husband stood by me lovingly dutifully to clarify my questions. I was also a regular visitor to their home at Ondo Avenue, Ijapo Estate, Akure, where, as in my office, they held many sessions of explanations that deepened my understanding, usually over sumptuous meals. In a few months, I completed my reading and moved forward.
When he was leaving The Guardian as the MD/Editor-in-Chief, for The Comet in 1998/1999, it was therefore automatic for me to accompany him there as the paper’s editorial representative in Ondo State.
His column in The Guardian has been a great help for me, for it prepared me for what is higher, leading me to my most invaluable treasures in my earth-life and entire existence. Continually I keep drawing help from the column, which increasingly opens me to higher recognitions that enrich my life, and leads me further.
My working with the column since its publication started in The Radiance online newspaper, which I run, especially has been very helpful; further clarifying issues, events and happenings; keeping me on my toes and opening me inwardly to higher recognitions; and thus deepening my conviction in the Source of the column’s knowledge.
So, this celebration of Mr Bonuola’s 80th birthday, for me, is my personal celebration of Oga being my teacher, mentor and guide since 1989 when I crossed his path physically in this earth-life.
Happy Birthday, Sir! May you be granted good health and all you need to enjoy many more years on earth hale and hearty!
Amen.
