By BETTY ABAH
The Good and Merciful Lord created the vast heaven and earth on a hectic schedule but before He took a well-deserved rest on the seventh day, he decided to create the human. And in the entire mix of this beautiful creation, in the entire schedule, in the farthest distance millennia, I think, He mercifully ensured that there would be an Uncle Lekan, a captivating gem, a beautiful soul and a cooling balm on His sometimes hot planet.
Thank God for the amazing gift of Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, (a.k.a Uncle Lekan), mentor extraordinaire, ace journalist, a perfect gentleman, an efficient administrator, a man with a gold-plated heart, a genuinely caring soul and one of the reasons there is still hope for God’s troubled planet.
How did I run into this amazing man? I was at work as a young reporter at Newswatch Magazine sometime around 2002 when I was notified of a visit. Who could that be? I stepped out into the office compound and there stood my visitor, a tall, dark, lanky and gentle-looking man. He had brought copies of the Journalists for Christ International Outreach (JFC)’s newsletter for me. I had found previous editions in the newsroom and was fascinated by the idea of an association of Christian journalists. I quickly sent a message of appreciation. The copies he brought had my message published in it.
There and then we started a friendship, an acquaintance and mentorship which have spanned two decades and running fruitfully. Uncle Lekan is God’s wellspring of goodness which never runs dry, a calm and understanding man, a man so calm and comported you wonder how that is even possible in our chaotic Lagos.
Dear Uncle Lekan, as you celebrate your 60th birthday, this is wishing you many more years of goodness. You have sown good seeds, you are a good man, a rare, selfless and godly man, you will reap only good and pleasant harvests.
Some 10 years ago, when I received the vision of CEE-HOPE, an NGO that would be committed to engaging, mentoring, developing and fighting for the rights of children and young people in the perennially high-risk impoverished communities in Nigeria, Uncle Lekan was one of the persons I contacted and invited as Board of Trustee members to support this vision. I had no idea at the time that I shared a slightly similar childhood story with him. Raised in the rustic and ‘vibrant’ Ajegunle community in Lagos, he came out tamed and polished by the Master’s saving stroke, and the refining fire of education. I was born and bred in Ojira, a then teething ghetto in a Benue back-of-the-woods, salvaged from the consuming fire of youthful vices by the intervening help of the church, early mentorship by Christian seniors, and of course, refined by education.
READ ALSO: INTERVIEW: What journalism practice of over 30 years taught me –Otufodunrin (I)
I had no idea as well at the time that Uncle Lekan would also become one of the biggest factors behind the current success of the CEE-HOPE vision, a Gibraltar of support, an incredibly steadfast believer in the vision whose tireless support surpasses articulation. He has been to almost all the communities we work in Lagos and in 2019/2020 when I had to travel out for a six-month course in UK, I confidently entrusted him with the organisation to run.
READ ALSO: INTERVIEW: What journalism practice of over 30 years taught me –Otufodunrin (II)
When my mum passed suddenly in 2022 and I was inconsolable and on the verge of depression, Uncle Lekan stood by, rallying JFC members to support me. I shall never forget.
They don’t come in large numbers these days, the divine makes of Uncle Lekan. A man of integrity amidst a profession and a country tainted by systemic rot. A rare creation.
A workaholic, the Ijebu Ode-born icon had a very successful media career spanning the The Punch and The Nation newspapers. He retired from the latter a couple of years back after serving as Sunday Editor and Online Editor. The author of several books on the profession, he runs Media Career Service, a platform on which he trains younger journalists (who, alongside his other teeming mentees nicknamed him Uncle Lekan) and media professionals across the country, consulting for several local and international institutions. He also continues to run the JFC which he founded in over two decades. He is also on the board of several local and international non-profits. For him, it’s always been about standards, about maximing professional opportunities and colleagues, no shortcuts, absolutely none.
There is so much to say about this incredible Nigerian but for space constraints.
Dear Uncle Lekan, as you celebrate your 60th birthday, this is wishing you many more years of goodness. You have sown good seeds, you are a good man, a rare, selfless and godly man, you will reap only good and pleasant harvests. You are a quintessential example of God’s idea of a good and joy-instilling creation, a role model. You have replicated yourself in so many young journalists; a family man, you have raised excellent seeds. You are blessed and a continual blessing.
You will be happy and fulfilled all the days of your life.
On behalf of the CEE-HOPE family and friends, thank you, and happy birthday, dear Uncle Lekan!
