My last respects to Tunji Oseni
By Akin Osuntokun
Why do bad things happen to good people? Even though he did not die too young at 62 neither however can that age be deemed a ripe old age for a man to die. Death is the inevitable end of every mortal and should not necessarily be construed a bad thing. What makes death a tragedy is a combination of prematuredness and the manner of its imposition. Relatively speaking crossing the threshold of 70yrs is deemed a reasonable standard for accepting the inevitability of death with grace and equinanimity.
It is equally supported by the biblical proclamation of three scores and ten years as a minimally acceptable benchmark for Christians. Thus death may be considered a tragic visitor the farther the attainability of 70 years and the more cruel the agency of its visit. Mr. Tunji Oseni suddenly took ill about a year ago. He was before then a very healthy man who had the gift of not being prone to any sickness. As he no less deserved. He lived frugally and with a lot of discipline. He sleeps early and wakes early, does not indulge in any social excess, was a teetotaler, and a man completely at ease with himself and the world.
And then suddenly he took ill and what an expensive and remorseless illness it turned out to be! It completely consumed the last year of his life and drained his meagre resources, an indecent assault on an uncommonly decent man. For a man who neither smoked nor drank Oseni was the least qualified candidate for the cancer that ravaged his lungs,a cruel irony of fate. Our paths crossed at a critical period in my life. Professionally and emotionally adrift at the end of 1994 I yearned for some measure of stability and temperance in my otherwise riotous living. Nigeria itself was in turmoil, in an active state of social and political anomie, and was quite hostile to the prospects of an idealistic young man aiming anxiously to find a niche.
The contrived political crisis which ensued in 1993 was festering and created a growth industry for the vocation of political journalism and activism. In this vocation I had identified a calling which must be reconciled with the requirement of settling down to a career and the imperative of commencing a family life. Oseni had earlier been appointed managing director of the Daily Times, an empire in decay but an empire nonetheless. The new helmsman was an embodiment of balanced and principled journalism-neither pandering to licentious radicalism nor deeming himself hostage to the conservatism and abuse of officialdom; Daily Times under his watch and nurture had the potential and appeal of mainstream journalism reinventing itself.
Thus Daily Times in 1994 looked like a place I could find a niche and appeared to Oseni like a place that could accommodate journalists of my pedigree. I readily took appointment with him as special assistant and member of the editorial board. As 1994 progressed into 1995 and the ominous portents began to manifest clearly on the political horizon the realisation quickly dawned that Oseni's days and the vision he represented at the Daily Times were numbered. When the exit sooner came there really was no surprise but sorrow for the Daily Times whose revival was arrested and set on a rapid reverse course. Naturally, his exit defined the career of some of us in Daily Times as superfluous and I personally came to the conclusion that journalistic neutrality in the context of the deepening political crisis amounted to hypocrisy and at worst outright collusion with the dark vision of then military head of state General Sani Abacha.
Operation catch NADECO people commenced in earnest and yours truly was given the honour of being labelled and punished as such. My appointment was summarily terminated and at my request Oseni secured a place for me on the editorial board of The Guardian. I remain grateful to him, Lade Bonuola and The Guardian for giving me that singular opportunity to find a platform where I could express a full and enthusiastic commitment to a most worthy cause. I felt a rare sense of fulfilment and inner satisfaction in running a weekly commentary to complement the historic struggle against Abacha's tyranny and misrule. Being a man of modest needs and sacrificial mentality Oseni had no difficulties at all in adjusting to life after office and getting provoked into enlisting at the barricades of the struggle.
I acquired the habit of spending my spare time in his company, sharing intellectual companionship and virtually adopting him as a role model, mentor, guardian, friend and brother. We proceeded to serve together at the Comet newspaper and he had a brief stint at the Anchor from where he was appointed as spokesman of President Obasanjo. Again I had the privilege of getting to know the president through him. The advantage of being known through the mediation of Tunji Oseni is clear and compelling. It's the advantage of honour, dignity and nobility by association. I hope that I did not disappoint him and pray that I shall not disappoint him. Let me now crave the indulgence of this newspaper to pay him my last respects. To do this I turn to Max Ehrmann's Desiderata of which beloved Tunji Oseni's life was evocative.
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy".
