The Guardian newspaper has been an undisputable pride and flagship of the Nigerian media for decades because of the core of great minds it was able to assemble.

One of those bright minds who made and sustained the pedigree of The Guardian was Mr. Ade Ogidan, a man whose name was synonymous with the Rutam House for more than twenty years. Popularly called Baba Ogidan, he held forth the Business Desk of the newspaper as Editor for 10 years during which the newspaper attained its apogee as the number one business newspaper in Africa. Having come from a genteel family, Mr Ogidan’s sentinel and values, ‘Truth’, perfectly align with The Guardian Motto – Conscience, Nurtured by Truth.

Today, Mr. Ademola Ade Ogidan joins the epic club of Septuagenarians with dignity and a sense of fulfillment. With his hallmarked simplicity, to him, 70 is just a number as what matters most is the content of one’s life – a life of impact.

From my close interactions with him for three decades, Mr Ogidan has never been swayed from what he holds dear – honesty and integrity. He is a man whose penchant for the truth is unassailable. His values do not have a price and prize for him to forgo them. On several occasions, he dared to be different just to be his true self. He once rejected a plum political appointment because his cherished values would be compromised. In his personal life and career, he prides himself on ethical conduct which earns him respect from many people.

His life epitomizes contentment and he is always at peace with himself. To him, life is not all about material accumulation but touching lives. Today, many of the people he mentored, supported or sponsored are doing great in Nigeria and abroad.

Though Mr. Ogidan has a huge goodwill that others could appropriate for self-aggrandizement; instead he feels honored and pleased to live on what his efforts would do for him. For all his over 20 years at at the Business Desk of The Guardian, he never for once used his position to exploit as was the common thing to do by people in his position. What gave him fulfillment was assisting and supporting people. To him, genuine success is only what is achieved through honest means. No wonder, he is very much loved, respected, and appreciated in the corporate world.

Unknown to many, Mr. Ogidan is an activist. He was a student Union leader as an undergraduate (1972 – 1976) at the University of Nigeria where he studied Sociology and Anthropology. Even as an elite, about 30 years ago, he questioned why he should be wearing English dress as an African and he stopped wearing English dress ever since.

He is also very accommodating and always willing to give a hand. Anywhere, he is a man of the people and a good mobilizer. When he moved to his Ikorodu modest mansion a few years ago, he was instantly made the Chairman of the Landlords Association and his house became a rallying point.

Mr. Ogidan is also a historian. Nowadays, an encounter with him is like perusing the traditional encyclopedia. He knits and brings to bear historical perspectives with millennial knowledge to proffer solutions to intricate national problems. He will do well as an Economic Adviser and Head of any Humanitarian Agency of government.

Ogidan’s career life was very wide. He was a teacher in Ondo State after his Youth Corps Service in Bauchi State before joining the Federal Ministry of Communications in Lagos as a Personnel Officer in 1979.

He later joined the sales team of Lever Brothers Nigeria Plc (now Unilever Nigeria Plc) in 1979 as a Sales Manager until 1983. He had a short stint with Estate Paper Products Limited as a Marketing Manager before he became the pioneer Marketing Manager of the University of Lagos Press in 1984.

He later joined Neworld Eximport Company Limited, a member of the Prudential Group as Chief Operating Officer from 1993 to 1995. Mr. Ogidan was also the Marketing Manager of SS Adejoro & Company in Lagos.

He joined the editorial team of The Guardian Newspapers Limited as a Senior Business Correspondent in 1995 and rose to become the Business Editor in 2006 till November 2016 when he resigned voluntarily at the Rutam House.

Upon leaving The Guardian, he was immediately headhunted by Independent Newspapers Limited (Publishers of the Daily Independent Newspapers) as General Manager, Commercial, to revive the business arm of the Newspaper. His instant turnaround success was rewarded.

He was appointed the Managing Editor of the newspaper in July 2016 and emerged as the Managing Director and Editor-In-Chief in August 2017. He voluntarily retired from the company in December 2019 and presently chairs the Board of Nadigo Communications Limited. He is also a Director of the Institute of Security, Nigeria.

A humble and family man to the core, Mr. Ogidan espoused family values and he is blessed with children who are making giant strides in locally and internationally. His passion includes reading, mentoring, and gardening.

My prayers for him as he clocks the landmark age of 70 are more wisdom, sound health, long life, and more service to humanity.

I also wish to see him celebrate his 71 years as a Minister of the Gospel.

Happy birthday, sir.

Isamotu, a Public Affairs Commentator, writes from Lagos.