By SANYA ONAYOADE
I just read Senator Babafemi Ojudu’s tribute on Obe Ess. His passage was quite shocking. Obe Ess (Olaseinde Obe) was an unsung hero of the Flagship. We’ve had so many journalists celebrated for their writings and some others having political or academic appointments, but Obe Ess was consistently married to his art ad infinitum and cultivated generations of enthusiasts. I know a lot of people who bought The Guardian because of Obe Ess cartoon and the cartoon page was one of the first pages I read when I held the newspaper. And that page was also my responsibility when I was in The Guardian.
When I joined the newspaper as a Sub-Editor in 1992, Obe Ess was my daily contact. My duty was to edit the Opinion Pages which had the Op Ed and the newspaper’s Editorial. So, every day, I had to receive the cartoon from Obe Ess and editorial materials including letters to the editor from Reuben Abati for me to edit and plan the pages for production. I sometimes went to Obe Ess small office to make clarifications on the cartoon text because it was my responsibility to ensure no typo or grammar errors on all the editorial pages. He loved his cigarette and the dark coffee that blended with his dark skin. The aroma of coffee would always hug you whenever you entered his office. He spoke little, quite taciturn but friendly.
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He definitely contributed to the leadership of The Guardian because his cartoon strokes were master pieces. He used the visual art to speak truth to power, and some of the narratives that could not be written for fear of seditious or defamatory allegations, especially in the military era, found expression in his poetic license. For example, his cartoon images could call a leader or an influential person a thief or rogue without using the words “thief” or “rogue.” Nigeria has been a tragicomedy since independence, and you saw Obe Ess cartoons giving life to all the country’s absurdities in a most comical way.
He was not one that clamoured for the limelight, so he didn’t submit his cartoons for awards. Neither would you see him in social events nor grace the tabloids for any kind of event. As at that time, no ties, no jackets, no impressionist attires: It was simply shirts and trousers or casual tops. And rode about in his blue Datsun sedan.
He was one of the last titans in the Editorial cartoon world. Obe Ess!
