Onstage: Please give us an insight into your media career as a notable entertainment journalist?
FAJ: Like we have said a hundred times, we got exposed to entertainment in early in life. I was involved in literary activities and the media from secondary school in Abeokuta and then to the University of Jos where I read my English studies. I’ve always been involved in organizing one entertainment reports, reporting this event or writing reviews about that. Even before I got out of the University, I have been contributing to the Guardian and others. Eventually when I got out, I had an opportunity to be at the Punch where I started in 1988. Naturally, because I studied the Art, I was brought into art reporting and stuff like that. I got involved in Entertainment reporting. Decades after we are still around the periphery. I have veered into different areas of media production and presentation. We thank God, we are still here and still kicking.
OnStage: Can you briefly recall entertainment reporting in the late 80s to early 90s. It would be nice if you can mention some of the titles.
FAJ: I will mention a number of publications. Even before we started, in 1991 we had Prime People, Vintage People. We had Drum magazine, we had Joy and all kinds of sister publications from the beginning, from Daily Times, Punch Newspaper. Then the weekend edition of Punch was more or less of entertainment. We had strong entertainment crew and lifestyles for Saturdays and Sundays. At a point, I was anchoring the main entertainment page in Punch which was called Saturday Highlife. It was quite exciting for young people. We were in our 20s we had opportunity to be heard. It was not the world of Internet as it is now where everybody can write and publish and all sorts. We had few publications around then profession. We would still have to do our Job, even when we’re Perhaps less than 15, they were prominent. We had an access to close and we had to separate pleasure from business. We had so writing what you love and being paid for it, touching lives and many relationship. We were creative and supportive to the likes changing opinions, impressions. It was quite fun. Most of us were of Ebenezer Obey, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Kings Sunny Ade, Chris not married, we were single, we walk in the street and the money Ajilo and other older personalities like Sunny Okosun. wasn’t much, but nobody cares. It was just fun working. Sometimes, we would go on trip. I went on a trip with Chris 80s/90s. It was quite interesting. Igbokwe to Uyo and Calabar and Port Harcourt, covering their OnStage: Would you recall your experience, relating concert. People outside of Lagos had enthusiasm when these with personalities like RMD, Kwam 1, Sir Sina Peters, artistes come into town and we were able to record these events. writing about Danmaraya Jos and some Nollywood Great.
On Stage: Can you recall names of some of your likeOluJacobs.Howweretheyassourceof news in thosecolleagues that you transverse the length and breadth of days.
You people contributed to the narratives of thoseNigeria and shaping narratives through your various periods?columns and pages of newspapers or publications in FAJ: Well, if you say so. We were just interacting with themthose days?and reporting their lives. The interesting thing is that.
FAJ: If I may recall, some have gone, some are alive. In the made up your mind to be industrious, serious-minded, not givenperiod when we started, my direct colleague, who was older and to being anybody’s errand boy or given to collecting money, what was like a big brother that I worked along with Azuka, a we call Egunje/Brown envelope. They could see through you your fantastic writer of entertainment. I worked with Akeem honesty, your integrity and your hardiness, wanting to do your Ikandu, kunle Bakare, Jude Arijaje. Though, he came after me, job.but we were contemporaries so to speak. Tunde Kolawole, Dele We had quiet good relationship with them, we were like Aberuagba, very prominent chap that died. Ogbonaya Amadi. friends. They could invite us anytime to their special events,Ifeanyi Ikenna, I wrote about him. Wale Olomu, of course, he homes and we would invite ourselves to their homes died in 1994. They were so many. Those that I reckon with, Ihave their names in my head.
OnStage: Would you say Nollywood as an industry is shaping the right narrative as a medium of cultural modelling? The robust and big industry is said to be second biggest in the world, maybe after Bollywood and Hollywood.
FAJ: Considering that they’ve been doing videos, around 1983/84 and after reversal sale and the collapse of 35MM, the big cinema video took over and became more popular in the 90s and the owners of Nollywood has pigeonhole it to 1992.
I started doing some reviews in the early 90s, to mid-90s and I was a little bit too harsh on them, because I was more focused on the technical delivery of those productions, because naturally, we were at depth at story-telling, I was more concerned about the technical delivery and looking back, I was a little bit harsh on them truly because we were growing also, and if you look back at ’92, ’93 to date, we’ve done tremendous improvement in the narrative of telling of our stories, they’ve had big box. Though, some of the stories are still a little bit somehow like playing to the gallery and if your audience are seeing to be enjoying what you’re delivering and they’re laughing it off, who are we to blame you? In terms of headlining cultural values of our people, they have had some steps. The display of ritual killing and all that in their industry is a reflection of our society. We all contribute to how our society is made up, we don’t all frown at the services of Babalawo or the fact that people cannot have rituals to get money as quick as possible and in stupendous amount. Some of these tendencies are also prevalent and visible in larger society. So, we ask from this people not to only reflect the society but to set agenda, lift the society to the right path. They’ve showcased that
You must be conscious of your name. Every journalist must be conscious of the quality and character of his by-line. Your name is your heritage, heritage is your life. So, whatever you write, make sure it has gone through principle of serious intellectuals, and all the dynamics of true journalism, before you publish it out.
People like Femi Kuti, Shina Peters, Kwam 1. It gave us opportunity to work and travel far and wide, I travelled to interview major personalities like Elemure, Danmaraya, Comfort Omoge among others. We went far and wide. We travelled interviewing them. Many of them would not have that access if they didn’t come to Lagos. We did as best as we could and as professionally as we could. It was interesting. Though, we were able to differentiate between friendship and profession. We still have to do our job even when we are close. People were afraid to let down their guards or unwind completely when we’re around. And some of us would differentiate between friend and antagonist and those using human beings for rituals don’t end well at the end of the movie They’ve done well. They’re trying.
OnStage: As a reporter, editor and later publisher in your career, you co-founded about four publications. Would you highlight or mention a particular experience that you’ll never forget in your years of moving about and working in this industry. A memorable experience, maybe treasurable?
FAJ: Maybe something treasurable will be the reality that our pen could indeed be mightier than the platoon of soldiers or whatever you can equate with might. I recall a situation in ’89 or’ 90 before Shina Peters became an Icon or blew as they say now. A friend of mine, Jude, told me about one guy singing “onfo” “Wale n fo” (Wale is flying), I thought it sounded ridiculous. After persistent whining about it, i said, ” let us go”. So, we went to stadium hotel and listened to the music, the then afro juju was but released, it was playing in the hotel. And it blew my mind and I said “wow”. I have known him since I was young. He was in Ebute-Meta, I grew up in Ebute-Meta. So, I knew about him. I knew his struggled with Prince Adekunle’s band, his struggle with Segun Adewale. So, I tried to go closer because I was trying to get an interview with him to add to my story, because the scene was so exciting. But bouncers pushed me away, they basically threw me out. You know they were quite big and I couldn’t do anything. It was Shina Peters performing. This was before the release of Ace.
So, I wrote a lovely article about the performance and how it’s going to break the barrier and all that and the reactions from the audience. So, in my Punch column gossip column, Gold-Fish, you know the column had no identity. So, I lambasted the security, I accused them very well there, which is what the gossip stream is for, something different, strange, something hilarious.
The column dropped on Saturday and by Monday,he was at our old Punch office at Kudeti. As a rising star as he was, he just prostrated to me, begging, it was so shocking in the office. He said he was so moved in spite of the assault and the treatment they meted out to me, that I could still write a blowing and great article about him. I said that’s work now, I did the job. I should not mix pleasure and job or the hazard of the job with the work, that was something remarkable that happened. I really illustrated it in my current book.
OnStage: One of the great things any scholar or practitioner or somebody who had gone through an experience is to document his/her experience, you’ve done a great deal in that. Would you just capture some of the publications you’ve put together, talking about your career, your life and industry?
FAJ: I’ve published about seven books and I’m still working on more. Part of the book, the one that concern my professional life and anything related to the media or to the worker 35/3years.The book titled lifeline was in 2011. I also did footprint, my interventions in Nigerian entertainment, a small book. RMD wrote its foreword. The lifeline, late Sunny Obazu-Ojeagbase wrote the foreword.
In 2021, I had about four or five books that year. The first; I called it Anthology of thoughts on Nigerian movies. I tried to document Nigerian movie industry from 100 years,1920 with Orlando Martins and 2020, it was the last year of my collection. The book on my creation or the formation of FAME Magazine. FAME was a phenomenon in the ’90s, that three-young-boys team. So, I wrote about the side of my story; Its rise and fall, that was last year. I also had another book called “It’s a dog’s life”, it’s my experience while I was detained at Kirikiri maximum prison in the media struggle within the issues of the business of running the media and the spill over before we had to go our own way to go and form other publications afterwards. So those four specifically directed at the media, entertainment industry, my life within that sphere.
OnStage: What are your strong take away for anybody that wants to pass through this route? I mean who wants to take to society or entertainment journalism?
FAJ: To succeed in this business is not about making money. It’s not about the talents or gift you have. It’s about having grit and integrity.You must be conscious of your name. Every journalist must be conscious of the quality and character of his by-line. Your name is your heritage, heritage is your life. So, whatever you write, make sure it has gone through the principle of serious intellectuals, and all the dynamics of true journalism, before you publish it out. Don’t make yourself a weapon or tool for others to use for whatever agenda they have. So, Integrity is key, being hard working is also key. In spite of the fact that you have a flair to write. Secondly, my general philosophy of life is to do to others what you like them to do to you. The natural law of life is that, if you want good to happen to you, then do good to others. If you do bad things to people, sooner or later, bad things will happen to you. If not to you, it’ll be to your children, great grandchildren or grandchildren. So, that’s the way I’ll advice young ones with the great opportunity they have and the tools they have now to do great journalism.
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