Ebuebu, Ilelah, Mbah, others pay tributes to Tom Adaba

Rains of tributes have continued to pour in for the first Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Prof. Tom Adaba, who passed on Saturday, February 22, 2025. Adaba died in the early hours of Saturday at the age of 84.

President Bola Tinubu, while extending his heartfelt condolences to Adaba’s family, the government, and the people of Kogi State over the passing of the first Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), said: “From teaching and mentoring to administration and consultancy, Professor Adaba was a towering figure and an inspiration to many within Nigeria’s broadcasting circles and beyond.”

President Tinubu recognised Adaba’s remarkable achievements as the first principal of the NTA Television College in Jos, an institution renowned for training professionals in the television industry in Nigeria and neighbouring African countries.

He also paid tribute to Adaba’s lifelong commitment to media development, mentorship, community service, and philanthropy.

He affirmed that the annals of Nigeria’s broadcast industry deregulation, communication scholarship, and the growth of media scholarship will be incomplete without a generous reference to Professor Adaba’s contributions.

He prayed for the repose of Adaba’s soul and asks God Almighty to comfort his family, friends, and all who mourn this irreparable loss.

”May his legacies live on in the many professionals he trained, the scholarly books he authored and the integrity he brought to the public offices he held,” the President said.
Governor Ahmed Ododo of Kogi State has described the passing of as painful and a colossal loss.

Ododo, in a statement issued on Sunday in Lokoja by his Media Aide, Ismaila Isah, expressed grief over the demise of the ace broadcaster, communications scholar and media administrator.

He described the deceased as a leading light for development in Nigeria and a courageous voice of the people of Ebira land and the entire state.

“I am saddened by the death of our father and leader, Professor Tom Adaba, who has gone to be with his maker.

“Our prayers are with his immediate family, the people of Kogi state and Nigeria at large for the colossal loss.

“Adaba was a man, who is widely regarded as a teacher, mentor and leader by many in the media profession, the academia, Ebira community and Nigeria,” he said.

The governor condoled with the Ohinoyi of Ebira land, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed-Anaje, the Ebira people and the entire citizens of the state over the demise of Prof. Adaba, who held the traditional title of Ohieteohueyi of Ebira land.

The immediate past Director General of the commission, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, described the loss as monumental.

He recalled. “My relationship with him was cordial. When I was the DG, I used to pay him visit. Though he was sick, he was very jovial. He was a nice person and a great broadcaster.

“He laid a strong foundation as the pioneer DG. If the foundation was not strong, it would have been a different story. We need someone like him in the broadcasting industry because of his wealth of experience.”

Ilelah added, “his was a life of fulfilment and his legacy lives on.”

Another former DG of NBC, Emeka Mba, said of the many people holding up candles that illuminate our beloved Nigeria, and the continent, Dr. Adaba’s candle shone as bright as could be, with his unmatchable brilliance.

“Under his guidance, many of us learnt to walk the arduous stretches of broadcasting and journalism. I hold onto the privileged memories of having worked alongside him, and being a recipient of his tutelage. His legacy endures, surely. My heartfelt condolences go to his wife and family.”

The Executive Secretary, Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), Yemisi Bamgbose, also described the death of Adaba as a devastating blow to the broadcast media in Nigeria.

“A repository of knowledge, Adaba’s death has created a big vacuum that is difficult to fill in both theoretical and practical aspects of media practice and administration.

“As the first DG of NBC, Dr. Adaba laid the solid foundations for broadcast regulation in Nigeria bringing his knowledge to bear as a producer, prolific writer and academic scholar in formulation of policies that pioneered broadcast media regulation in Nigeria.”

Bamgbose said, “he used his wealth of experience to nurture into limelight many broadcast organisations including DAAR Communication, which he served on her Board as a member for many years. It was based on his landmark achievements that the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters honoured him with a prestigious award as a pillar of broadcasting in Nigeria in the year 2024.

“While we commiserate with his immediate family and members of the media community, we pray to God to grant his soul eternal. Adaba was not just the pioneer DG; he was the foundation upon which the Nigerian Broadcasting regulatory framework was built. His unwavering dedication and steadfast commitment to ethical and professional broadcasting laid the groundwork for the industry we have today.

“He was a man of deep integrity, whose leadership shaped policies, fostered industry growth and set standards that have continued to guide the Nigerian broadcasting landscape. He was a teacher, mentor, and father figure to many in the industry. His wisdom, patience and vision were a beacon that illuminated the path for broadcasters, regulators and media practitioners. He was a man of humility, faith and service embodying excellence in every aspect of his life.His departure is a profound loss to Nigeria: the broadcasting industry and all who had the privilege of knowing him.

“Yet even in our grief, we take solace in the fact that he lived a life of impact, leaving behind a legacy that will endure for generations. His voice may be silent but his influence and contributions will continue to echo in the corridors of broadcasting in Nigeria and beyond.

“On behalf of NBC, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends and the entire media community.”

THOUGH his name was synonymous with media and broadcasting in Nigeria, beyond broadcasting, Tom Adaba’s mark as an outstanding teacher, driven leader, generous philanthropist and loving family man has trailed his rich legacy.

For over five decades, Adaba functioned in different capacities in the global media space. His influence on the next generation locally and internationally, is reflected in the many successful names in both private and public service that continue to praise this mentorship.

His journey as a pioneer started at an early age. The first of six siblings born to a devout Catholic family of Joseph Abara and Mary Oniya Adaba in Asaba on Wednesday July 2, 1941, Thomas Aaze Adaba initially set out to become a priest.

After a brief seminary stay at St. Peter Claver’s Seminary, Okpala, Imo State, that desire soon changed to joining the army. It was while training at the Advanced Teacher’s College (ATC) Kano in the 60s that he got his first feel of broadcasting, after successfully organising a debate among the students. That got the attention of the school authorities and he never looked back.

In 1980, Adaba was appointed the first Principal of the NTA Television College Jos, a training institution set up to meet manpower demands of the nation’s growing television industry.

Between 1990 and 1992 he continued to rise through the ranks within the industry serving as General Manager NTA Makurdi, Benue State and as Deputy Director Operations, NTA Headquarters Lagos.

His first-of-a-kind journey continued in 1992 with his appointment as the Pioneer Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, the new regulatory body responsible for Nigeria’s broadcast license and codes.

For the next seven years under his charge, the Nigerian broadcast industry changed the media landscape, birthing private media in Nigeria.

Following his retirement from public service in 1999, Tom Adaba has continued to consult and teach in the private sector through his Abuja-based media consulting firm, Trim Communications Ltd. He continues his public speaking roles, presenting papers on global subjects, and sits on some select boards.

Adaba was a distinguished patron of the ChiYoWo Empowerment Initiative. His over 40 years of service to the education and mass communications sectors was duly recognized by his country when he was bestowed with the award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2008. As chief of his homeland, Ebiraland, he aptly bears the title, ‘Beacon of Light’, which was indicative of his guiding presence in his country’s private and public sectors.

His dedication to continued learning and the value of higher education was evidenced by his bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees (one in science and the other in educational technology) and his doctorate.

An able teacher, Adaba taught at all levels of the education sector, primary to tertiary and served in the policy making role of President, African Council for Communication Education (ACCE).
He employed his skills as an educator to his various appointments.

Among these were roles he played as Associate Professor in Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State; Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Lecturer, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Principal of the NTA Television College, Jos; Station General Manager, Makurdi; and Deputy Director at NTA Headquarters.