Tribute
By Dan Agbese
ONE of the most painful obligations a man is suddenly called upon to discharge is speaking or writing about his cherished friend in the past tense. The past tense says that death has, without warning, terminated your friendship; what remains are the fond memories you have of the dearly departed.
Death is always shocking. Although the word itself has become a cliché, it still conveys the pain of the irretrievable loss that a man feels on learning about the death of his friend. I am trying to recover from that shock over the death of my most cherished friend, Mallam Wada Maida.
I first met Wada sometime in Dodan Barracks in 1984 when he was the chief press secretary to the head of state, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari. I was the editor of the New Nigerian and had called on him to confirm an important story. He handled my quest with care and a sense of balance between his constituency, the news media, and his job as the head of state’s spokesman and chief media adviser. We struck an instant friendship and fondly called each other my man in Hausa. He was a thoroughly professional journalist. His professional decisions preached the virtues of fairness and balance to those who worked with him in NAN and his other high-profile appointments. His death has robbed younger journalists of a great mentor.
Death, cruel death, tore our friendship apart forever on Monday night. I last spoke to Wada to condole him on the death of Mallam Isamaila Isa last month. We also exchanged Sallah greetings. Wada wore his cool mien and unassuming nature on his sleeves. We joked a lot. His laughter matched his cool, almost shy nature. All of us who were close to him will greatly miss him. May his soul find favour with the almighty and may he grant him the eternal rest he deserves in his bosom.
**Dan Agbese is executive director, MayFive and the former editor-in-chief of Newswatch Magazine
– Aug. 19, 2020 @ 13:59 GMT |
Tags: Mourning Wada Maida
