Gibbers @10: A tribute to Epe Prince

Sunday, February 6, 2011, Gibbers was born under the watchful eyes of Epe-born Prince Adebowale Tajudeen Abdulai, as the Editor of Sunday Tribune. Yes, he is the same Debo Abdulai, the current Editor of Nigerian Tribune. By an interesting coincidence, today, Sunday February 6, 2021, this column, midwifed by him, is exactly a decade. Whao! Just like that. Ten years back, I was just longing lazily and the thought of writing a column in all the innocence of just being an opinion moulder coursed through my sub-conscious again. That wasn’t the first time. Since I began seeing a future in journalism, column-writing has held a special appeal for me.

Strangely, it wasn’t because I was beholden to any star-writer. Aside Chief Bola Ige and to some extent, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, I wasn’t into any cult following of any columnist, home or abroad. But there was real zest for Dr Festus Adedayo’s Flickers. Funny enough, I had an interesting encounter with him, joining Tribune, during the editorial leadership of Oga Folu Olamiti and Pastor Segun Olatunji. A former Editor of Nigerian Tribune, Mr Dapo Ogunwusi, also had his style with Pandora Box. I wasn’t a big fan, because it was more of a gist-and-fist column, but he hit hard when he wanted to.

I must mention that Gibbers wasn’t my first in Tribune. Under the guidance of now-Dr. Abiodun Raufu as Saturday Tribune Editor, I was doing a stuff in a corner that had to do with the Foreign Beat I was covering in Abuja then. How much did he indulge me! Then came the Tribune Law page. It was a time when spagination (my coinage) wasn’t a problem in the media industry and I was also doing some Wig and something I can’t really remember now. The Saturday attempt was rested also immediately Mr Bode Opeseitan replaced Mr Raufu, who moved up. Though Mr Opeseitan’s editorship was brief, before he left to Glo(w), my desire for column-writing was in the cooler for a while, until that afternoon in 2011, when the thought flowed again, (now I know by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) and I just grabbed my phone and put a call through to Alhaji Abdulai and playfully requested if I could columnise for the Sunday paper. His response shocked me, “when do you want to start”? Even my desire staggered a few steps backward. “Was he expecting me to make the request before now”? I quizzically and obviously rhetorically asked myself. Overwhelmed, I answered without thinking, “this week.” He explained the production rudiments to me and said he would be expecting the debut. Within hours, “Declaring My Luggage at Entry Point” which was the title of first-ever Gibbers, was almost done.

By February 4, 2011, it was ready to be dropped for publication. I was fresh from a friend’s loss in a party primaries for governorship ticket and couldn’t help being angry with the cash-and-carry exercise. Next Sunday by God’s grace, I will re-print the entry-point. How did I come about the column identity for which angry responders to unpalatable writings had knocked me in the past? Yes, I know gibbering isn’t what anyone who wants to come across as intelligible would do. But I chose Gibbers, so readers would forgive when I sound unintelligible in matters they have a dog. But all must be well to end well. I have received abuses, threats in sizable dose. Commendations have also flowed. My choice of grammar at a point was a source of worry for some. They complained of having to seek a Webster before reading to make sense of my sayings. To them, I wasn’t gibbering, but leaving some readers behind. Just like our paradoxical existence, the Jim-Jam grammar was lit for many others, who always countered to me, whenever I published such syntactical disavowal.

Interestingly, Gibbers only did 18 months on the motherly lap of Alhaji Abdulai before he moved to a greater height in September 2012. Both those days were crucial to the survival of the column. No, he wasn’t censoring. In fact, I can’t remember ever being asked why I chose any topics. But he was very close to the cot, ensuring the tot wasn’t suffocated by a combination of hot blood and brutal neologism. He was a near-perfect midwife. That he even believed I could do a general purpose, all-matter column, at that career age, is still a surprise to me. That is why I always say the patent right belongs to him.

In the last eight and half years, another Alhaji, Sina Oladeinde, has been grooming the column to teenage-hood. Their styles are different. The unspoken is the message in Alhaji Abdulai’s message. The comical is the take-away in Alhaji Oladeinde’s take. Whatever Gibbers would ever become, the two gentlemen, have a bigger bragging right. How can I also forget the regular harassment I got in the hand of Mr Jackson Udom, who first produced the column at the head office, whenever he felt I was delaying production. With smile contouring the visage now, the usual threat of “a gbe nkan mi sibe o” (we will fill the space with another material) is playing in my head as I write this. Jacko, is a jolly good fellow. Mr. Moses Alao who took over from him, had a milder way of prodding me, to deliver the content, within time, with “oga a ti rowo yin o (you are yet to send material for the page), to which I usually replied “broda mi, e ma binu” (please indulge, my brother). With the current “producer” Mr Dare Adekanmbi, I have been trying to be ahead of time, while enjoying maximum support from him. These are all men of capacity.

With all humility, I can also say Gibbers has a fan base, though motley. When some take issues with the issues on the page, we could be on it for “some” time. At a point, publication of responses was halted due to competing needs and inelastic space, but by God’s grace, the feedback column, would resume soon.

About four years back, Gibbers moved into another realm by divine leading. I relinquished it totally to the Holy Spirit to write. Since my life is completely yielded to the Most High to direct, my thoughts on issues must be included. If anything offensive is found in Gibbers today, it has to be part of my flesh, yet un-mortified. Just like countless children of God, I’m far from sainthood. Even Popes aren’t cannonised overnight. But I’m irretrievably resolved, to spend the rest of my life in the service of God and man. Whatever purpose Gibbers has to serve in all of these, may it be so in Jesus Name, amen.

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