By CLEM OLUWOLEIn this country, the ember months are notorious for road crashes. The phenomenon has always prompted the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to deploy personnel to various parts of the country to counter the menace of drivers who exploit the season as an opportunity to make quick money. Propelled by greed, they ignore road fatigue and risk the lives of their passengers. They do not care a hoot about their own lives, provided the money is tumbling into their pockets.
I know I will be accused of exaggeration if I say that Nigeria records a higher percentage of citizens killed on the highways through reckless driving between September and December than from January to August combined! Or how else does one explain the frequency of deaths that have occurred between October and now involving some notable Nigerians in the comfort of their homes, far from the sprawling abattoirs which our highways have become?
Within last month alone, I have written tributes to seven Nigerians, including two recent losses. The first to feature in this column was General Abdullahi Mohammed, the second Military Governor of Benue-Plateau state during General Murtala Mohammed’s regime, published on November 8, 2025. The ultimate terminator was not done. The following week, I wrote on the passing of Chief Joseph Aderibigbe, a Provincial Secretary in the Sir Ahmadu Bello administration, in charge of Sokoto Province and a pioneer Secretary to the Military Government (SMG), Kwara State. His passing was followed by the death of Professor Sandra Ladi Adamu, the first female professor of broadcast media in the north.
I thought I was going to have a respite. Then came the sad tidings of the death of my role model, Chief Dan Ochima Agbese, immediately followed by the passing of a colleague and management staff of this paper, Alhaji Yahaya Adamu.
As if this were a month of tributes, on Monday last week I received the news of the death of General Abu Ali, who governed Bauchi State during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. As if death had not done enough, a couple of hours after I learned of Gen. Ali’s passing, a colleague came to announce the demise of Bayo Osiyemi.
Leadership tested in crisis
My relationship with the late Gen. Abu Ali dates back to the early 1990s when he governed Bauchi State. A test of his leadership was witnessed during the Tafawa Balewa upheaval, which later engulfed the entire state, leading to massive killings and wanton destruction of property. The catastrophe coincided with a National Sports Festival being held in the state, and the governor had to tap into his military experience to ensure that all the athletes came to no harm. He displayed courage by personally monitoring the security situation across the state, putting his own life at risk.
The Jos-based Sun weekly newspaper, which I co-founded with Col. William Walbe (rtd) of blessed memory, was already gaining ground in Bauchi, the zonal headquarters of the paper. During one of the governor’s tours of Bauchi town, as the dust was settling, his eyes fell on a copy of the paper with a headline so bold that “he who runs can read.”
The state government had been battling negative coverage by some southern papers. Curious, he asked his Director of Press Affairs, Bashir Bello Akko, what his relationship was with the paper, since it was providing objective coverage. Bashir told him he had no special relationship with the paper. All he knew was that the publisher was a retired military officer and that I, the Editor-in-Chief/CEO, was a friend.
A few days later, I received a verbal invitation from the Government House, Bauchi. The governor wanted to see me. It was not unusual for a governor to seek a meeting with a media chief. Nevertheless, I informed my publisher before driving to Bauchi almost immediately.
Bashir received me and chaperoned me to the office of the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Alkaleri. I waited briefly because the governor had a visitor, who turned out to be Alhaji Mohammed Ndimi, the oil and gas magnate. I was warmly received by the governor, who expressed appreciation for our efforts in dousing the fire fanned by most media outlets. I assured him that we were simply doing our job professionally.
Building bridges through media
A couple of months after normalcy returned to the state, the Sun Management, led by Col. Walbe, decided to organise a public presentation of the paper in Bauchi to strengthen our relationship with the government and raise awareness. The governor welcomed the idea. After all, the state-owned paper, The Trumpeter, was not sufficiently publicising the government’s activities beyond the state.
The governor mobilised support from all local government areas. Some Bauchi indigenes objected to the idea of a “foreign” paper organising such an event. However, the governor stuck to his guns. The Chief of Dass, Alhaji Bilyaminu Othman (of blessed memory), accepted to be the Father of the Day after my persistence. The presentation was a resounding success, with the venue, Sharanda Hotel, bursting at the seams with dignitaries. The crowd was unprecedented.
Our relationship with Gen. Ali continued long after his duty tour in Bauchi until he retired from service. He went off our radar after being appointed Etsu Bassa Nge in Kogi State in 2000. I recall writing a tribute after the death of his soldier son, Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu Ali, who died in the line of duty on November 4, 2016, at Mallam Fotori, Borno State, at the hands of Boko Haram fighters.
May Allah grant the soul of the Etsu Bassa Nge Aljannah Firdausi and give his family, as well as his people, the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
Adieu, Bayo Osiyemi
The passing of Bayo Osiyemi also came as a shock. Bayo was a member of Set 78 in the print media, covering the 11th Afcon in Accra, Ghana, as Sports Editor of the Nigerian Tide, owned by the Rivers State Government. He was a gangling fellow, perhaps the tallest among us. In the set were veterans Babatunde Oshuntolu, Kayode Ojo, Ndanusa Alao, Owolabi Ilori, Philip Ohiare, Isaac Ibhafidon and Alhaji Ajibade Balogun, along with yours truly. The team was the most vibrant squad of sports journalists to cover the AFCON I have known.
For two weeks, we operated as a squad, sharing information and comparing facts and figures. The tournament also gave me an opportunity to visit my birthplace, Kumasi, to cover some of the matches, though I had little time to explore the city. The Green Eagles, as defending bronze medalists at the previous Afcon hosted by Ethiopia, struggled against the Ugandan Cranes, who knocked them out in the quarter-finals. Pride preceded their downfall, and the absence of the head coach, Father Tiko, left assistants Gentleman Carl O’Dwyer and Willy Bazuaye to hold the fort. Some players openly questioned their capabilities, and the Eagles faced a well-organised Cranes side that took them to the cleaners.
Just penultimate Monday, Ndanusa returned a call I made to him. We reminisced about Set 78 and those who have since passed. At the time of our conversation, we had no idea about Bayo’s passing. Others who have answered their final summons include Babatunde Oshuntolu, Kayode Ojo, Philip Ohiare, Owolabi Ilori and Alhaji Ajibade Balogun. The Methuselahs among the set are Ndanusa Alao, Isaac Ibhafidon, and myself.
May the good Lord rest Bayo’s lively soul and grant his family and colleagues the courage to cope with his painful passing.