To a kindred soul, Zik Zulu Okafor: A Birthday Note, by Ademola Adedoyin

In life, fate determines the journey of a man, it determines whose paths a man will cross and ensures the fulfilment of the purpose of such encounter. In life, as the ancient sage submitted, there is actually no encounter by accident. If it was not bound to happen, it would not have happened.

It is in this context that this writer locates the crossing of paths with the birthday boy, my twin brother from another mum, a true friend, a kindred spirit, an outstanding professional pal and a business partner, Zik Zulu Okafor, who, today, gingerly climbs the sixth floor.

The year was 1990. It was in those halcyon days of magazine journalism revolution heralded by the entrance of Newswatch into the media scene some five years earlier or thereabouts. In that season of journalistic excellence marked by high professional standards, two leading and colourful Nigerian journalists, Chris Anyanwu (of the NTA fame and later Senator) and Ely Obasi (ex-Vanguard, ex-Newswatch and of blessed memory) had birthed a breezy, easy to digest and highly informative news magazine named The Sunday Magazine, TSM.

So it was that shortly after it hit the newsstands, there was the need to reinvigorate its very vibrant and powerful newsroom with some additional competent hands. Through an insider and a friend to a cousin and his wife, yours sincerely was informed about the development, but with a strong caveat: there is nothing any contact can do to ensure employment beyond the information that there is a vacancy to be filled as actual employment is strictly on merit and competence.

Forewarned, one applied to join the Editorial Team, hoping that it may come off well, but not too certain it could be so. Then the invitation letter for the interview came. Some hope. On the appointed date of the interview, the young reporter arrived the Ilupeju office of the publication, looking forward to an interview in the conventional sense of such job interviews. But he was mistaken. This interview was not about the job seeker sitting across a panel of interviewers throwing verbal questions at the hapless job seeker. No.

The job seekers, about 12 of us, were taken to the newsroom, offered seats and plane sheets of papers. The newsroom had transformed into examination room. We were to write about why we thought we were the right persons for the job on offer. We had an hour to do so.

That done, then the next one. We were to go to Oshodi busstop, observe happenings at that centre of chaos and commotion and then come back to file a report. We must have been given about an hour and half for the task.

Well, not been exactly a cub reporter, having plied the trade of news reporting for some three years in other news publications, one knew what these hard driving journalism icons wanted. Rather than proceed to Oshodi, your truly searched and found a little cosy bar down the Street, off the office location, took a seat and, over a drink, one scribbled and sketched the report to be filed, using one’s knowledge of the drudgery daily routine at Oshodi. Done with the task and the drink, the reporter reported at the examination room. We had another one hour to write our report. Done with this, our examiners retreated to another location in the office, apparently to mark our scripts. What we saw was their return and the summoning of some of us to another office. Six of us were left behind in the examination room. Those summoned we never saw again.

Then the examination resumed again for those of us left behind. Some past editions of the magazine were handed over to each of us. We were to do a critique of the editions handed over to us. We had one hour and half to do this. Our scripts were collected and the masters retreated again.

After about two hours, two others were excused, leaving four of us behind. It was these four that were then taken to the Publisher’s office reception and were called in one after the other. It was the oral interview, conducted by the Publisher, Mrs Anyanwu and Editor, Ely Obasi. Done with the oral interview, one left the office that evening, thoroughly exhausted and hoping for the best.

The ‘best’ came after one week, in form of a letter offering one the job of a reporter in the media outfit. Of the twelve of us that did the rigorous screening called interview, it was yours sincerely and Zik Zulu Okafor that got the job.

Interestingly, while comparing notes and sharing our views of the process that led to our coming on board the TSM team, Zulu made it known to me that he did not go to Oshodi but just found a place nearby, where he stood out the period. I told him that was exactly what I did as well. Obviously, it was the two of us that did not find the need to go to Oshodi that got the job.

TSM was a unique and unconventional media house. It was described as a home for outstanding journalists and accomplished writers and not a training school of sorts. That was why the week Zulu and I resumed, we were deemed capable of writing the Cover Story for the magazine. The week we resumed work was the week John Chukwu, JC, pioneer stand up comedy artist died. Assigned the task of covering the Art Section of Magazine, stylishly named Arty Stuff, the task of handling the cover story fell on Zik. He discharged the duty so credibly to the excitements of the old hands in the newsroom. Our Cover Story titled: John Chukwu: The Day Laughter Died was the Cover that week.

The following week, the task of handling the Cover Story for the week fell on yours sincerely. Although assigned the Oil & Energy Beat, a Beat the publisher was an authority on, yours sincerely was assigned the task of digging into the story making the rounds in Lagos and beyond that some criminal syndicates were mysteriously harvesting people’s genitals after a handshake or even a mere exchange of pleasantries. As a reporter with a good knowledge of Lagos, it was said that I should be able to handle the assignment.

The reporter in one had been called out. One went into the task with a singular resolve to bring fresh angles to this outlandish claims and to put names and faces to the bizarre development. The Cover story Mayhem, Mystery Over Missing Manhood was the outcome of that efforts by yours truly.

At TSM, where Zulu and this writer met and struck it off, we worked ourselves to the bones and we were very excited to do so. We had a great team of highly professional practitioners that was the envy of any newsroom, a news room filled with brilliant minds and outstanding journalists such as Kayode Samuel, Comfort Obi, Mubo 0kosun, Ochereome Nnanna, Chudi Okoye, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Obi Nwakanma (now a Professor) , Maik Nwosu (now a Professor), Ngozi Abanobi, Zik Okafor…..

Zik Okafor covered the Arty Stuff. A young man full of energy and drive, Zulu, though a teetotalar, was at home in Night Clubs, in line with the demands of his job. He could do night crawling from Friday all through Saturday and even Sunday to get juicy news stories to fill his pages. From such outings, he reported Monday in the office and started writing the stories for the week to meet up with Wednesday production deadlines. By the time we were done with production on Thursday, Friday was at hand again and the task of night clubs coverage began all over again.

With this level of hard work it was therefore not a surprise that less than three years on the beat, by 1993, Zik had won the Nigerian Media Merit Award, NMMA, not just in Arts and Entertainment, but also in Print Journalism.

That is the one we celebrate today. A Theatre Arts graduate from the University of Ibadan, Zulu has not only made a mark in Journalism, but has also gone ahead to put an indelible mark on the sand of time in the Nollywood industry. A former President of the Film Producers Association of Nigeria, the Zulu’s unique characteristics of hardwork and dedication had also set him apart for recognition and adoration in the industry.

A friend, a brother and a kindred soul, Zulu truly is a friend and brother who truly epitomises the meanings of those words.

He is the man we celebrate today.

May God bless every single day of the decades ahead for you beyond measures.

Many happy returns, Zulu.

–Adedoyin, fnipr, Journalist, Communication Strategist holds the traditional title of Otunba Onigegewura of Esie Land.