Emulate Dele Giwa and Olayiwola Afolabi

In my last article, I asked and answered the question: Who is Dele Giwa?. This was in response to a newsbreak that The Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda in February 2024 went to court to re-open the case of who killed the vibrant writer and journalist with letter bomb on October 19, 1986.

He is from Ekperi Clan in Edo State but was born in Ife town where he grew up. After the article was published, an innate cosmic voice restlessly advised that I write on the soft side of Dele Giwa and tag it with that of Olayiwola Afolabi so as to teach the quintessential leadership qualities in short supply today in Nigeria. Here in lies the purpose of this article.

As a point of departure, Dele Giwa was a totally detribalised leader who did not subscribe to bigotry and ethnic stereotyping. Once you are morally upright, honest hardworking, disciplined, ready to learn as well as obedient to constituted authority, Dele Giwa was ready to work with you.

This explains why his circles of friends embraced only people with universal mindsets who think and act in a humanistic way. Check employees of his baby Newswatch magazine. All tribes of Nigeria were represented on the staff list.

Like him, Olayiwola Afolabi(SAN) was born in Lagos State although he is from Ekiti State. He is not a tribalist. Were he would not have been able to settle and live comfortably in Edo State after his NYSC service in the 80s.

Afolabi believes passionately in the credo "that though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand"

In the bible we are told that when Christ was informed that his mother and siblings were outside the synagogue waiting to see him, Christ responded that only those who adhere to the commandments of God are his relations. In the same fashion Afolabi considers only detribalised people his friends.

It is in pursuance of his detribalised nature, the easy-going human rights activists gives out free wigs, gowns, collars, pressing irons foodstuffs, cash, law books, radios, bibles scholarships and other gifts to all manners of vulnerable and underprivileged persons.

If you have a power of observation, you will notice too that Afolabi does not engage in staff discrimination being not the bossy type, drunk on megalomanic power. He is, moreover so very informal, simple and unofficial that you will misplace his identity when in the midst of his junior legal partners and workers. Add this. He is humble.

Just one example. In 2023 Mr Usi Agbor and I were in his office with a land case. After a preliminary interviews, Afolabi discovered his junior partner could handle the case. Afolabi didn't invite his junior partner into his office to take over the case. Rather, he shepherded us to the junior's office where he politely handed over the case to him.

As I recount this incident, I remember the late great novelist Cyprian Ekwensi who was his own gateman responsible for opening the gate for visitors.

Also, similarly humble Dr. Nelson Mandela in 2003 walked to the gate himself to open the gate for an editor of a newspaper taken to his house by a driver.

Therefter, Mandela ordered lunch before the interview. While at table with the editor waiting for lunch to be served, Mandela asked about the absent driver and the editor said that protocol required he remained in the car. Mandela smiled, got up from his seat and went out to invite the driver in for the lunch!

Dele Giwa epitomised such non-discrimination against his workforce in his lifetime. All staff were given equal respect. In his days as Sunday Concord editor, for example, he often left his office to crack jokes with surbodinates in the newsrooms. No one required protocols to meet him although it was more rewarding to come with productive newsbreaks, topical issues for discussion or brilliant ideas for advancing writing and Journalism.

At the Newswatch where he was editor-in-chief, he was god the father to all staff. Each time he travelled abroad he return with gifts for staff.

The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the sage, says: "A big danger to society and man is ignorance, indifference and ideological isolationism." Both Dele Giwa and Olayiwola Afolabi subscribe to Awolowo's ideas. That is why other self-centered people are not bothered by the wrong doings in society, they go all out to fight them with uncanny passion.

Take Dele Giwa for example. When the management of Daily Times re-assigned Ray Ekpu from his desk as Sunday Times editor to head

Business Times because of his anti-establishment column, most journalists maintained hushed conspiratorial silence. but not Dele Giwa. He roundly condemned the unGodly act against a media colleague. In addition, he even went personal by taking on Andy Akporugo - a godson of the biased management - chosen to replace Ray Ekpu and who in a published column claimed that as an older journalist he was supposed to be sunday editor of Daily Times before Ray Ekpu.

Without mincing words, Dele Giwa told Andy Akporugo to hold his breath, that younger, better and more knowledgeable Ray Ekpu in journalism is more qualified to be sunday editor before him.
Later, Dele Giwa now at Concord Papers facilitated the migration of Ray Ekpu from Daily Times to the safe haven of Concord Papers as a member of the Editorial Board.

Not long afterwards, Dele Giwa founded Newswatch Magazine and brought Ray Ekpu on board.

Also, Dele Giwa extended a neighbourly, helping hand to Alozie Ogunbuaja, Lagos State police Public Relations Officer, when he was being villified by the military for unapologetically testifying at Oputa Panel that soldiers in Nigeria were predisposed to planning coups while idling away carousing at hot pepper soup joints. The DSS grilled and threatened Dele Giwa over his association with sacked and despised Ogunbuaja but he never abandoned him. Infact, he was trying to give Ogunbuaja a job in Newswatch magazine before he was killed with a letter bomb.on October 19, 1986.

Olayiwola Afolabi!! He deploys his legal platform to fight countless human rights violations and social injustices against Nigerians of all classes.

A few mention of his activism. It was his spirited effort that led to the release of Ovia North-East Local Government youths politically incarcerated in prison on charges of destroying electric polls in the area at the heat of an electioneering campaign and their massive support for Omosede Igbinedion eyeing the house of representatives.

Also, Olayiwola Afolabi took on the case of the judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Edo State chapter fighting for constitutionally-guaranteed judicial autonomy further confirmed in a high court's unappealed judgement. Through his effort, he got the Industrial Court to grant all the reliefs of JUSUN on strike since January 2015 including the prevention of Edo State Government from sacking JUSUN staff in June 2015 if they don't call off the strike.

To mitigate the impact of the strike when it entered the seventh months, Olayiwola Afolabi launched an appeal fund for cash and food aid forJUSUN staff one of whom had already died from inability to afford her medical bills.

What is more? Early in the year, Olayiwola Afolabi embarked on a advocacy mission to get Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to swear in the eight judge-nominees approved by the National Judicial Council (NJC) several months ago. Subsequently, he joined a powerful team of Edo Chapter of Nigerian Bar Association-led by Justice Imadebelo on a working visit to Obaseki urging bim to swear in the judge-nominees without delay so as to show required constitutional respect for the NJC before filing complaints of perceived inadequacies in the NJC nominations to the body, later.

In 2023, there is a particular case that Olayiwola Afolabi's chambers won that is worth mentioning.

It concerned a widow who ran with tears in her eyes to him complaining that she is being deprived of her family inheritance. After listening to the details of her case, he assigned it to his junior partner Barr.(Mrs) Chukwu but supervised the case until she won it for the chambers. He did not only celebrate the victory but went on to shower praises on Barr. Chukwu for a job well done as proof that work in his chambers is collective team work; not an overbearing, dictatorial one-man Afolabi power show.

Indeed, if you are a careful observer, you will notice that Olayiwola Afolabi incorporates a lot of fluid informalism into his office organogram. He dislikes stiff, impersonal bureaucracy that sidelines kindness, compassion, respect, generosity and empathy for both staff and clients alike.

Another thing is that he is open and carries the staff along in all he does. However, he does not fail to chastise erring staff for the slightest indiscretion, inhumanity and non-performance.

I won't forget to add that he also makes conscious, deliberate effort to groom his staff. For instance, while operating under his wings, he allowed Barr. Carrington Omokaro - a young lawyer in his chambers who left the law school in 2021- to argue and win a law suit on family inheritance before the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land.

Similarly, Dele Giwa gave on-the-job training to all staff under his tutelege. He always taught them how to be great writers and branded professional, investigative journalists.

His lessons have paid off. The crack team that founded Tell magazine led by Nosa Igiebor are from Newswatch magazine, his brain child.

Dele Omotunde worked with Dele Giwa. He later left the shores of Nigeria following his death in 1986 to practise journalism in America where he won the best and prestigious Pullitzer Award For Journalists.

On a final note, Dele Giwa drove a taxi-cab in New York City to pay his way through college in America. In the same vein, Olayiwola Afolabi in his early life was a server to bricklayers in Lagos State where he grew up. Like late Dele Giwa, he is not ashamed to open up on his autographical poor past. Today, he is a celebrated Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN), the highest achievement for a practicing lawyer in Nigeria. Also, he is a household name.

Dele Giwa himself was the most popular and famous journalist in Nigeria when he died in 1986 at 39.

According to late Prof Chinua Achebe, the master story teller and author of Things Fall Apart, the core problem of Nigeria is leadership poverty.

True talk. So, methinks, it is Germaine I showcased in this article the standard content and context of good leadership as demonstrated by Dele Giwa and Olayiwola Afolabi(SAN) in their various disciplines.

Let us embrace and emulate them so as to work towards eliminating the poverty of leadership hampering our development since our independence in 1960.

The great thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson, says: "The true test of civilization is not the census, not the size of cities nor the resources. No! It depends on the type of men the country turns out."