The passing of Peter Enahoro

ON April 24, Peter Osajele Aizejoeobor Enahoro, the iconic, remarkable journalist and former editor of the original Daily Times of Nigeria and some other publications, passed on. It was the end of an era. He was born on January 21, 1935 into a political family and had nine siblings, including his eldest brother, the late Chief Anthony Enahoro, who was also very visible in various political engagements in Nigeria in those halcyon days of yore when Nigeria was still under the colonial rule.

Frank Burton, in his book, The Press of Africa, describes Enahoro as “arguably Africa’s best journalist writing in the English language.” His foray into journalism was as audacious as it was momentous. Working in what is now known as the Federal Ministry of Information as a publicity officer, he once confronted the then president, Nnamdi Azikiwe, at a press conference. Rather than ensure that the press conference went hitch-free, Enahoro chose to play the devil’s advocate, insisting that the president had cleverly avoided a question from a reporter and should answer the question. Although his audacity annoyed Azikiwe at that press conference, his courage wasn’t lost on the then Daily Times editor, Abiodun Aloba, better known as Ebenezer Williams, who saw the potential in him and decided to hire him instantly.

Thus began his eventful career as a journalist on the stable of the Daily Times. His rise in the profession after his employment was nothing short of meteoric. By the time he was 23 years old, he was already swimming with the sharks in the Nigerian media, pulling strings and taking momentous and significant decisions. His forte was being able to combine his obvious raw talent with youthful energy for prodigious outings in virtually all his professional engagements. Such was his genius that he was reputed to have had three persons in one body because he wrote as Peter Enahoro, Peter Pan and George Sharp at the same time, all of them having different personalities and ideologies. It was usual for him to write the editorial in the newspaper, only for him to oppose some of the ideas canvassed in his columns in the same paper!

What seemed easy at the Daily Times where his talent blossomed in epic proportions however changed after he left on self-exile in 1966. The narrative changed with the ownership of the media. At some point in time, he was also with the New African magazine which invariably tanked at the instance of the new realities of drudgery of newspaper and magazine management systems. Africa Now, another publication, also died unceremoniously, and that seemed to suggest that a totally different management style needed to be adopted that would be more sensitive to production costs.

Enahoro as a dauntless, irrepressible journalist was venerated by many admirers who toed his line in his choice of professional career. By the time he dropped the paddle last week, his closing glee was that of a journalist, author, publisher and businessman all rolled into one.

Adieu and good night, Peter Pan, Peter Enahoro and George Sharp!

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