Igwe: A Tribute To A Colleague

He bore the family name of royalty, Igwe. And, indeed, his name was a household word. He was a hard working journalist who totally devoted all his skills, all his experience, all his time and all of his energy to the profession he so much loved. He was a keen journalist for close to 30 years. Not only was he a respected journalist, he was also a publisher, an author, a biographer and a pastor.

Millions of people got to know him, inside and outside of his native Nigeria both as a journalist and as a pastor. And many younger and upcoming journalists, especially, saw him as a role model and as their mentor. At 58, Mike Awoyinfa and he had pioneered the now defunct Weekend Concord newspaper, Sun Newspaper and co-authored several books including Osoba: The Newspaper Years; The Art of Feature Writing and Mike Adenuga: The Business Guru. The veteran journalist, until his death, was the Assistant General overseer of Evangel Pentecostal Church‎, Lagos.

The story is that Dimgba Igwe was run into by a hit-and-run car at about 06:00 hours last Saturday while jogging close to his house in the Okota area of Lagos, Nigeria. According to an intimate friend of his, he would possibly have survived if he had got the urgent medical attention he very badly needed immediately after he was involved in the accident. He had actually been rushed to the hospital. First, he had been taken to a private hospital in Isolo, a suburb of Lagos, close to where he lived.

The staff of the hospital saw the massive wounds on the accident victim and realized they couldn't possibly handle the man's case effectively. They transferred him to Isolo General Hospital. At the General Hospital, there was no medical doctor available to look into the case. He was then taken to the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital where he gave up the ghost at about 10:00 hours! He endured four agonizing hours of excruciating pain, waiting for medical help that never came until he gave up the ghost at the emergency surgical theatre of the university teaching hospital.

That is the story.

His close associate and current President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Femi Adesina, shudders to recollect those four gruelling hours his late colleague lay in a pool of blood, battling for his life. He too believes that Igwe would have survived the accident that claimed his life if he had got the prompt medical attention he needed expeditiously. But he did not get it. And he died.

Like many people and many organizations, the Nigeria Labour Congress has urged the authorities at the Federal Road Safety Commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of this veteran journalist and apprehend the culprit. Perhaps, the culprit may have a story or two to tell the police.

But come to think of it: was Igwe in the habit of jogging by that time of the morning? If so, how many of his neighbours were aware of this fact? Is it not possible that the so-called hit-and-run driver was simply a hired assassin who had known about Igwe and his jogging habit, traced him closely, and then did the hit-man's job for the run of his money? Can such a possibility be completely ruled out? And in any case, could Igwe have inadvertently stepped on the raw toe of anyone, any public office holder or even an aspirant, or a member of his church in recent times? Did he actually do a thing like that? Could he have attracted anyone who might have had a reason to wish him dead?

These questions become relevant when we consider the chilly manner Igwe was probably murdered. It certainly wasn't the first time he jogged along that road. That means he must have been quite conversant with the road and the environs. That also means that it was not likely he was jogging in the middle of the road. The chances are that he was jogging by the side of the road. And so it is important that we know: did the vehicle that hit him come from his front or from behind him? What was visibility like at 6 am on that Saturday morning? Did the vehicle have its head lights on if visibility was poor? Did any people witness the “accident”? If some people saw what happened before taking Igwe to the hospital, why are they not coming forward to give evidence of what they saw? Why are they not giving police the information they have? Or must they wait for the police to appeal to them to come forward and speak what they know? Like many other well-meaning Nigerians, the Nigeria Labour Congress wants this hit-and-run driver apprehended and prosecuted. And all hands must be on deck.

Igwe was indeed a likeable person.

Those who know him very closely say he wasn't wild and he wasn't a bad person. He said of himself: “I feel more like a self-righteous guy, a man who didn't drink or smoke”. In fact, he said he only smoked one cigarette all his life. He was not sure, according to him, that he drank up to three bottles of beer during his entire life time. Those were the difficulties he had to deal with, to know God. But when he became wiser, he realized that those things he was banking on amounted to self-righteousness. He realized that humans were born with sins and clothed in a fallen system; that all humanity was corrupt from birth and that they always grow up with that stamp of corruption. He began to understand that humans were never going to meet God on their own strength – that it was impossible to do so. He began to appreciate the fact that humans were only going to do it through grace and that the grace was going to flow through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. For him, understanding and receiving the unction was initially difficult.

As a journalist and a pastor, Igwe said he saw that both dealt with the same issue of advocacy. They mutually had to do with the issues of the downtrodden, the broken-hearted and so on. He said: “much of our journalism [in Concord newspaper] was about defending the defenseless. It is the same thing you do as a pastor", he explained. Journalists and pastors simply used different tools to achieve the same goal. So, the journalist and the pastor were basically in the same business.

According to Igwe, there is a bit of intellectual dimension to being a pastor. “One has to understand the scripture. One has to digest it. One has to bring out the meaning that makes the Scripture relevant to our contemporary world. If you ever go deep into understanding the Bible, you will see that there is no field that contains a body of knowledge as much as you will see in theology. Anybody who is vast in theology will invariably be knowledgeable in a whole lot of other things.”

Igwe believed that as a pastor, the Bible influenced his style of writing. He explained it this way: “The Bible is the world's greatest literature. A basic acquaintance with the Bible is a mark of an educated man. If you want to learn the art of writing well, the Bible is one major source. If you remove the spiritual contents of the Bible, you find that it is tremendously well-written. That accounts for it being the biggest selling book in the whole world. It has quality of composition. That is why if you read me, you would see a bit of biblical language infused in my writings.”

A typical day in Igwe's life was usually complicated to some extent. That was because he was a pastor of a church. As a pastor, much of the day's activities depended on his priorities. He would wake up in the early hours of the morning, relax and set his agenda. After saying his prayers, doing some physical exercise and taking his break-fast and all that, he would head for his study to work. Ironically, he had three offices and was about to have one more when tragedy struck. Corporate Biographies, which is Igwe's publishing company, was creating an office for him before the accident that took his life happened. So, it would have simply been a question of determining where he was most needed at a particular time. If he was not critically needed here or there, then, he would go to his study to read or write or do some other work he had to do.

He had an office at home. He had an office at the Express. He also had an office in the church. Because being a pastor was difficult and very tasking, he tried to regulate the pressure on him from that end. He said: “being a pastor was all about solving problems and getting people to stay out of trouble. It was never an easy task. It was always a case of somebody being sick; a case of someone being ejected from his or her home or someone dead.” That was part of what Igwe had to deal with regularly and he kept juggling with all those commitments. Most of the time, he had to spend his own money. That was how pastors in his church countered their challenges. They gave to the church. They never asked from the church.

Igwe's study at home was where he did the best of his work because he said it offered him a lot of privacy. If it was an activity day in the church, like Wednesdays when the church had the mid-week service, Igwe would be in the church by 6.00 p.m. and get back home around 8.00 p.m. He wouldn't get to sleep until well past midnight. This was because whatever the case was, he was most likely to come back to the office to do a little more work. Some days, he would stay in the office till 1.00 am or 2.00 am.

In many respects, Igwe was an exceedingly busy man. But he insisted he was busy in a relaxed way because he believed, like many of us, that he was the master of his time. “I orchestrate my time and appointments,” he once told a journalist. Yes. He believed he was master of his time. Many of us did think so too, until the rest of us, co-owners of our time, learnt from his sudden, inexplicable demise that there is a greater Master who controls our time and our destiny.

On what Igwe would be remembered for, Adesina said: “He trained me just as he trained some other journalists at that time. I was a young reporter when I joined the Sunday Concord in 1989. He was the deputy editor, so he virtually trained us in the rudiments of the profession.” The Nigeria Labour Congress said: “We remember him as one of the founding editors of the defunct Concord newspapers and, until death, a versatile columnist whose writings contributed immensely to shaping thoughts, contemporary political discourse, and progressive journalism in Nigeria. The Congress, in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, described the death of Igwe as a big loss to quality journalism.”

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, expressed shock on hearing the news of the tragic death of Igwe. He said death had once again robbed the nation's media family of a top-on-shelf journalist. He described Igwe's death as a devastating blow not only to the media world but also to the nation. Aregbesola said that Igwe's death again brought to the front burner the level of insecurity to lives and property in the country. He noted that it is unimaginable to think that merely engaging in a harmless venture like regular morning exercise could lead to a tragic death like that of Igwe. “It is indeed a tragedy of huge proportion not only to have lost this fine journalist and manager of men, but also to have lost him in such needlessly tragic circumstance."

Governor Dr Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State described the death of Mr Igwe as shocking, tragic and a colossal loss to the "pen profession", the literary world and the Nigeria nation. Reacting to the news of the death, Mimiko said the columnist of repute bestrode the journalism profession as a colossus winning many professional awards and distinguishing himself as a worthy practitioner of the Fourth Estate. According to him, the late journalist took his job as his passion and his passion as his job.

Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, said the death of the veteran journalist was shocking and heart-rending. “Igwe was one of the beacons of the journalism profession. He was one of the leading lights of the profession. That a man of peace like him could be visited by the violence of the road is one of the contradictions of life." He recalled Igwe's “deep, incisive and fluid” commentaries on the back page of the Sun and said that he had made remarkable contributions to the cause of journalism in Nigeria and that the country would miss him greatly. Commiserating with the publisher of the Sun and former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu and the Sun family, Ajimobi urged them to take solace in what he called the uncommon intellectual strides of the late Igwe and take his death as an act of God. “He came to the world for the purpose of enriching journalism, discourses at the public sphere, and he did this very remarkably. He left when the ovation was loudest. We should all bother less about him as he has fulfilled his destiny but bother more about what marks we are making in our various endeavours,” he said.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, expressed shock and deep sorrow over the death of pastor Igwe. He described the late pastor Igwe as a “quintessential journalist” whose death was a “typical thunderbolt from the blue, serene, sky”. Ekweremadu said: "I am short of words to describe this sad event. Sometimes, life could be cruel beyond measure, and this is one of such instances. It is a grievous loss to not only the Sun Publishing family, but our media industry and the nation as a whole.

Pastor Igwe was one of the finest hands in the nation's media industry. Besides leaving footprints of excellence on many of the nation's leading media houses, including the Sun Publishing Limited, his regular column, “Sideview” was a prototype of excellence and professionalism. He was a flawless writer, a compelling analyst, and God-fearing media guru. He told the truth, as he knew it, in a sermon-like manner that held his readers addicted and spellbound. He will be highly missed.”

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) described the sudden death of the veteran journalist as a great loss to the journalism profession. The union said the vacuum left by Igwe would be difficult to fill in the journalism profession. It described Igwe's sudden death as shocking and unexpected, but takes solace in the landmark achievements recorded by the deceased in the journalism profession. “The death of Igwe has again thrown journalists into serious mourning as we have no doubt lost another icon in the profession."

The All Progressives Congress (APC), condoling with the management and staff of The Sun over pastor Igwe's death in very tragic circumstances said that by his death, Nigerian journalism had lost a shining star. In a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also condoled with the family and friends of the late pastor Igwe, and prayed that God give them the strength to bear their loss.

It expressed shock and sadness at the sudden death of such a vibrant, cerebral and wonderful person, who had been a constant star in the constellation of Nigerian journalism for decades, without compromising his personal and professional integrity. APC called on the police to find and bring to justice the driver of the vehicle that knocked down pastor Igwe while he was jogging around his residence. “Words will not be enough to describe the huge loss to his family, friends, profession and indeed our entire nation, that Igwe's death represents. But we are sure the achievements he recorded in his lifetime will forever be a source of pride – and indeed a soothing balm – to all."

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in a press statement personally signed by him described the death of Igwe as a shocking and heart-wrenching development. Atiku recalled that he last saw him in January this year, “while his demeanour was as lively as ever, full of bluster." The former Vice President said the demise of Dimgba Igwe, who was his personal friend, would leave a huge hole in the spectrum of journalism profession in Nigeria. "The sudden nature of his death came as a rude shock and journalism in Nigeria has lost a gem and will surely miss one of its finest minds.”

But all told, if the hand of God was not in Igwe's death, perhaps it would not have happened in the first place. Somehow, Igwe would not have done that morning's round of jogging. He would have had a headache, a running stomach or something. He would not have been there when the enemy wanted him. God would have spoken silently to him. God would have, somehow, removed him from the scene of action before his enemy struck.

My dear reader, I want to tell you a story I think I have told before, somewhere about a prominent American evangelist. This great man of God was billed to go to Kano to preach in a crusade. With the gruesome events that were unfolding daily as the Boko Haram insurgents continued to hit the Northern parts of Nigeria, everyone knew that preaching in Kano was not going to be a child's play. The preacher would definitely come by many obstacles, mostly from those who saw Christians as “unbelievers”. But the man of God was not daunted. He had already sent out a poster of himself in a three-piece suit and the poster practically adorned every conspicuous space in Kano metropolis.

The man of God boarded a first flight from America while a second flight carried his luggage. He arrived at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos enroute Kano and waited for the second flight to come in. An hour later, the plane arrived. But his luggage was not in it. It had been stolen! The man of God was miffed. He did not understand why anyone would steal his luggage when even God Himself knew that his mission to Kano was so important. He turned to pray. He began to ask God why this should happen to him.

A young man at the airport saw the man of God in agitation and asked him what the matter was. The evangelist explained that he was billed for a crusade in Kano and that he had made extensive preparations to that end. But now, he had no clothes to wear, and no money to spend, because all his clothes and money were in his stolen box. “I am so confused, I don't know what to do”, he said in exasperation. “I am convinced that God no longer wants me to participate in the crusade. This may be the way He is warning me.”

The airport worker excused himself and went out. When he came back about half an hour later, he had a locally made national dress with him. He offered it to the man of God and said to him: “Go on to Kano and work for God. He never disowns His own!” Encouraged, the man of God boarded the next flight to Kano.

By the time he arrived, the stadium was filled to capacity with Christians from all walks of life and from every nook and cranny of Kano and nearby cities and villages. They had come for the crusade because they learnt that a powerful man of God was coming to preach from America. The band was playing very melodious songs. The atmosphere was charged.

The man of God mounted the rostrum and began to speak the Word. He had spoken for about an hour when two men came towards the podium. One of them had a gun, the other a locally-made poisoned arrow. They were halted by the ushers and the security agents. They surrendered their weapons and then they began to cry.

When they were interrogated, they said they were hired killers. They had been shown the poster of the evangelist and told “if you see any man in this three-piece suit, kill him. He is our arch-enemy.” They had been paid for the job. But now, they had searched through the entire crowd and couldn't find anyone with that type of three-piece suit. The worst thing was that they would be killed if they got home without accomplishing the mission for which they had accepted money. That was why they were crying.

That day, the spirit of God was made to touch the hearts of the two assassins and they converted to Christianity. Yes. The man of God was sad that some thief had stolen his luggage. But how was he to know that God wanted to save him from an untimely death by using the "service" of a thief?

* Mr Asinugo is a London-based journalist and columnist