Meantime, General Babangida had emerged as new leader following the overthrow of General Buhari in August 1985. As he assumed power, he had Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe who was his deputy. We learnt that they had decided to make Mohammed Haruna, the Managing Director and me, Editor.

The Permanent Secretary, of the Federal Ministry of Information a gentleman from a powerful family in Kano had the duty of
communicating this. Rather than do this, he allegedly convinced Mr. Mohammed Haruna, in the interest of the North, to accept the position of Editor while they looked for a suitable Northerner to appoint as MD.

After acting for six months, the Board had to decide to confirm my appointment or revert me to my substantive position. It chose the second option. But there was a problem. Its preferred candidate, Mr. Mohammed Haruna was in Columbia University as a student. So they came up with the brilliant idea that I continued to edit the newspaper, which they acknowledged I was doing well, but the name on the imprint would be Mohammed Haruna’s.

I felt very sad that bigotry could descend to this level. I wrote back to say what they asked me to do was unlawful and unjust, therefore impossible for me to accept. They decided to recall Mohammed and summoned me to a meeting and ordered me to withdraw my letter where I had stated that members of the Board were as individuals decent persons but as a collectivity a disgrace to human decency. I went to the Board room, reaffirmed what I had written and walked out on them.

Leaving the board room, I went to my office picked my bag and left the premises. I was simmering. I was sad. I was confused. I couldn’t go home, because I didn’t know what to tell my expectant young wife.

I decided to visit an army general friend of mine living in Kaduna. I knew him in Rotary Club and saw in him a decent Nigerian. Luckily, he was in. General Mohammed Inna Wushishi was Chief of Army Staff in the Shagari administration in the Second Republic.

The general was surprised to see me at that time on a working day. He wanted to know if anything was the matter. I told him I was out of a job. I narrated to him what had happened. He asked me how I felt. I said sad. Sad that a body of eminent Nigerians would judge somebody for a position not based on competence on the job but on extraneous factors such as geography, faith, tribe and tongue.

That day as I walked in, there was somebody who was sitting quietly apparently reading the dailies. He was not introduced to me, so I just greeted him and sat down with my host to converse.

At some point in the conversation, he asked our host for the use of his phone. He told him that the phone was by his side. He asked for permission to use the phone inside. This other visitor was also a general, somebody I already knew by repute but was yet to meet. General Mohammed Ibrahim Gusau was this visitor. He finished his conversation, came out and went back to what he was doing earlier without saying a word.

Soon after General Gusau completed his call and came out, I took leave of my host. He asked me what I planned to do, I told him I planned to go back to Lagos. I actually went back to Lagos that same day but not the way I imagined, for after whiling away time, I forced myself to go home. But before I could open my mouth to explain why I was home so early, I was told that my office had been calling me. I was told that I was required that evening in Lagos by Dodan Barracks, but I should first see the Honourable Minister of Information Prince Tony Momoh. I packed an overnight bag and with Mohammed Haruna went to Lagos.

In Lagos there was a pleasant surprise. We took the 5p.m. Kabo flight to Lagos. Got to Lagos after 6p.m., got into Lagos traffic and got to the Minister’s home a few minutes to the NTA 9p.m. network news. Our appointment as Managing Director and Editor respectively was the lead story and the reason we were summoned to Lagos. I was told by Mr. Yusuf Mamman, an IBB confidant and Press Secretary to Commodore Ukiwe, that Gusau’s phone call made General Babangida aware that his directive had not been carried out. He had long approved our appointment but unpatriotic public and civil servants wanted to subvert it.

He directed that it must be announced that day. Thanks to Generals Babangida, Wushishi and Gusau, the day my name was to disappear from the imprint as Ag. Editor, was the day the qualifier was removed and I became substantive Editor. They were willing tools of God’s will and grace. This is the first reason for thanking General Babangida. Additionally, on at least three occasions high level conspiracies were hatched to nail me.

I was abroad in 1986 when Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe was booted out of office. When I returned, I left Kaduna for Lagos to pay him a courtesy visit. There was nothing clandestine about this. I went in an official car, gave my complimentary card to the secret service personnel at the gate and also signed the visitors register. This was conveyed to General Babangida as proof of my loyalty to Commodore Ukiwe and by inference, disloyalty to him.
To be continued
Oparadike is former editor of New Nigerian Newspaper