Bites and Kisses: The day Bayo Onanuga summoned me, By Adeola Agoro

I was young.
I was energetic.
I was bad with the computer (the pen wasn’t it for me. My speed on the computer has always been wow!).

And when I was handling the Bites and Kisses column of Tempo Magazine (a sister company of The News and P.M News) as a Reporter/Researcher, I was as “deadly’ as I was sweet.

Ohhhh… Those days of hot blood in the newsroom!

I bite many people and companies, and as expected, they raved with threats of court suits but I stuck to my facts and we all later became friends after they corrected what I wrote about and we became friends.

And I was the darling of those I ‘kissed’ for their professionalism or good deeds.

My bosses, Chief Bayo Onanuga, Sen. Babefemi Ojudu and Mr. Kunle Ajibade as well as my editors never told me what they thought of me, but I knew they liked my job as I was called to cover some of the big interviews or assignments there was to do.

Those who worked with me in The News/Tempo knew the quiet ones – (Mr.)Onanuga and Mr. Kunle Ajibade. The one who was always moving around and getting us moving with speed was Ojudu.

I had represented Mr. Onanuga at some big events before, and I was always with Mr. Ojudu for some high profile interviews. But other than that, I was never summoned by any of them for any wrong doing, except of course the day I almost lost ‘Born to Run’ a book on Dele Giwa that I took from Mr. Ajibade. (A story for another day).

So, I was shocked one day like that as I passed through security on my way home and a call came through the intercom that I should be stopped.

The M.D wanted me.

That sounded like a kind of sentence to me. What did I do wrong?

Without wasting time, he showed me our latest publication where I had written about a very big and highly industrious Lagos/Ogun family about the feud among brothers that had made them enemies for years. The cause was a woman!

He wanted to know if that story was true.

I stood by it

He considered me for a while before picking up his phone to call one of the brothers that I mentioned.

After that, he told me it was true and I could go.

I moved away slowly thinking about the kind of boss that he was – no dramas, no threats – just facts. And of course silent rewards.

I have had reasons to admire him after that. And when he became the M.D of the News Agency of Nigeria some years ago and he asked if I could work with him, I appreciated his kind of person again despite not being able to. We just started the Deo Agoz brand then, and it needed my full attention.

He continues to amaze me with his great leadership abilities, especially as he never stopped being a leader even when I worked in another political party in the last election. He has held no malice against me, instead, he has always shown a high level of maturity.

As you grow older my M.D, may God keep lifting you up and give you good health and the ability to do more.

Aseyi samodun.

Please help wish him Happy Birthday! Thank you.

-Agoro, a journalist worked at the TheNews/PM News/Tempo where Mr. Onanuga was Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief