By Ikechukwu Amaechi
More than a century ago, 1898 to be precise, the influential French sociologist, Gabriel Tarde, wrote that newspapers “both enriched and leveled … the conversations of individuals, even those who do not read papers but who, talking to those who do, are forced to follow the groove of their borrowed thoughts. One pen suffices to set off a thousand tongues.”
On Thursday, September 27, 2018, a history-making event will take place at the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), an innovative academic and research institution, in Ikeja.
Nigerians who wield the pens so dexterously, demystifying the sword, will congregate at the serene CIAP environs to announce the birth of a new association – League of Nigerian Columnists (LNC).
It is long overdue.
Nigeria has always had a vibrant and sophisticated tribe of columnists. Yet, unlike in other climes, particularly Europe and America, these oracles of the pen profession whose pens suffice to set off a thousand tongues never deemed it necessary to have an association.
In the U.S. for instance, there is the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, founded in 1977, which “serves columnists everywhere at all levels of experience, in all media and formats, through education, advocacy and support.”
A column “is a running series of essays, from personal to persuasive, employing research and reporting or extending to fantasy and satire” but observing all journalism standards and ethics.
Journalists include columnists, editors and reporters, but in pecking order, a school of thought believes that a columnist occupies a pride of place.
The Encyclopedia Britannica says while a “journalist collects, writes, and distributes news and other information,” and his work “is referred to as journalism,” “a reporter is a type of journalist who researches, writes, and reports information to present in sources, conduct interviews, engage in research, and make reports,” and “a columnist is a writer or editor of a newspaper or magazine column.”
In a broad sense, therefore, the term journalist includes various types of editors, editorial writers, columnists, and visual journalists, such as photojournalists.
But the Encyclopedia Britannica went ahead to define a columnist specially as “the author or editor of a regular signed contribution to a newspaper, magazine, or Web site, usually under a permanent title and devoted to comment on some aspect of the contemporary scene.”
Tracing the history of that genre of journalism, the encyclopedia said “the word columnist is of relatively recent origin, apparently dating to about 1920.”
Although columns themselves came earlier, it was not until the early 20th century that the role of the columnist became more defined, and the modern column emerged, proliferating in diverse fields, including politics, economics, books, movies, society, medicine, sports, etc.
But unlike the other genres of journalism, “Writing a column requires, in addition to knowledge of the subject matter, the ability to project a personality that engages with an audience and establishes rapport with it.”
This is essentially what puts the epaulet of inimitableness on column writing, making a columnist, some believe, a newspaper’s greatest asset.
Syndicated columnist, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, subscribes to this school of thought.
“To me, columnists are a rare breed. Whether as creative artist, visionary, analyst, essayist, historian, preacher, ideologue, propagandist or agitator, the man or woman who can originate and compose thoughts by way of commentary that would engage the mind and thought of their reader almost in a compelling manner should be singled out for celebration and adoration,” he noted in remarks he made at the maiden meeting of the “Oracle Confraternity” on Thursday, June 21, 2018.
“No other branch of journalism interrogates the mind as the columnist. And no other professional calling wields as much influence as the columnist does,” he insisted, recalling that “because of the array of columnists assembled by the great Babatunde Jose of the old Daily Times in the late 60s and 70s, the then Head of State General Gowon made it a duty to call Dr. Jose on daily basis.”
Akogun Adeniyi is the initiator of this project. Together with Professor Anthony Kila, the proprietor of CIAP, the idea of an umbrella association of “men and women who wield mighty pens that shape and mould the thoughts and world-view of communities,” was floated.
Like the axiomatic mustard seed, today, the LNC parades industry giants such as Yakubu Mohammed, Ray Ekpu, Reuben Abati, Henry Boyo, Ben Lawrence; Jimanze Ego-Alowes; Dare Babrinsa, Martins Oloja, Akin Osuntokun and yours sincerely as inaugural members.
Attending meetings and sharing ideas with these great men, a cornucopia of humourists, with no other goal other than documenting Nigeria and, indeed, the world, with some perspectives, some of them in their 70s and 80s, is an invaluable experience.
It is always an assemblage of men whose encyclopedic knowledge of Nigeria is deep. Whether it is Ray Ekpu who turned 70 last month, or Yakubu Mohammed or Adeniyi or the urbane economist, Henry Boyo, you cannot but marvel at what they know, not from hearsay but firsthand information.
To be sure, column writing is as old as the newspaper industry in Nigeria and columnists have always been influential in the country. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and the legendary Ernest Sese Ikoli were thorns in the flesh of colonial overlords.
In recent memory, the exploits of Herbert Unegbu, Dapo Fafiade, Edun Akenzua, Remi Ilori, Tom Borha, Olu Idowu, Augustine Njogwani, Ajibade Fasina Thomas, Smart Ebbi, Dapo Fatogun, Dapo Daramola, David Ozurumba, Anthony Enahoro, Lateef Jakande, Ebenezer Williams, Bisi Onabanjo, Adamu Ciroma, Alade Odenewu, Peter Enahoro, Sam Amuka, Areoye Oyebola, Adaora Ulasi, Esther Adebiyi, Dupe Adeogun, Helen Obviagele, Bunmi Sofola, Nojeem Jimoh, Gbolabo Ogunsanwo, Haroun Adamu, and a host of others remain indelible.
Defining the League as the body of the finest columnists working in Nigeria media today, the president, Tola Adeniyi, said it was needed now as never before.
“The coming together of Nigeria’s leading men of the pen will help deepen and cross-fertilize the market and reach of ideas as never before,” he said, adding that, “Those who wield the pen with great skills are brothers and bonded by ideas. An association as this is thus a necessity, for both the good of the columnists and above all their society.”
Yet, some wonder whether in this age of the Internet, when with the proliferation of news sites and blogs, anyone can access the opinions of millions of commentators, the association is not late in coming.
Some have even gone beyond that to question whether, given the dynamics of the internet age in which the media industry, particularly the print media is, to put it charitably in a period of transition or worse a state of flux, the columnist still has a future.
Paul Waldman, an American columnist and member of the U.S. National Society of Newspaper Columnists answers: “As long as there exists a thing called a “newspaper” — even if many of the 1,400 daily papers currently operating in the United States go out of business — people will continue to believe that the opinions of those whose words rub off on our fingers are somehow a little more valid and important than opinions we find only on the Web.”
I concur! Welcome League of Nigerian Columnists.