It has been most difficult for me to script this mournful message in respect of my darling friend, colleague and confidant, Donatus Duru, who passed on exactly eight days ago, at the General Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos.
The difficulty has to do with my poor mental disposition in accepting that Duru, the Chairman of Editorial Board, Independent Newspapers Limited (INL), will now be referred to in the past tense.
When I assumed duties in 2016 as Managing Director and Editor-In-Chief of the media house, I knew very well that the task of repositioning the company would be highly challenging. I had earlier held fort as General Manager, Commercial; and Managing Editor.
But Duru, in his characteristic candour and valour, came in as a reliable ally in charting the path for the newspapers’ sustainable redemption.
Immediate issues to be tackled included circulation, low advert inflow and the concomitant poor revenue generation profile of the outfit. Starring us in the face was also a sizable legacy debt situation and workers’ low morale.
Highly dependable Duru became very supportive in our efforts at resolving these issues.
As a first step, we actualised the nationwide distribution of the titles within one week of my assumption of duties. To give effect to this new circulation profile, we embarked on aggressive drive to upscale the classified advert section and the editorial content.
We were phenomenally rewarded in our efforts as the titles grew out of the hitherto restricted markets of Lagos, Asaba and Abuja, to achieve table top and institutional presence in virtually all the states of the federation.
Besides, the classified advert section, which used to be an half page publication once a week, turned daily, grossing between three to five pages everyday. This pushed us to the top position in the industry.
With the able assistance of Duru and the Editor, Don Okere, we moved to reposition the newsroom, recruiting fresh hands, especially from The Guardian. The metro page and business pages in particular were turned around. The oped section was an an area Late Duru gave his midas touch to. He initiated the setting up of the paper’s Editorial Advisory Board, which became instrumental in generating robust ideas for our publications.
To further enhance the revenue generation profile of the media house, we established the now iconic INL Awards, against the “Man Of The Year Award” which I inherited. This successfully widened the scope of the event and consequently the size of stakeholders.
One remarkable contribution of Donatus Duru, as the Chairman of INL Awards Planning Committee was the jettisoning of bringing on board consultants/contractors for the event, in view of unfavourable profit sharing formula being proposed and the company’s lean resources. Everything in respect of the awards was done in-house with relative success. In all our interactions with awardees, all stipends received, under the guise of our transportation expenses were promptly paid into the company’s accounts.
Also on a worthy note was Duru’s support in advert generation. He was able to penetrate several institutions, including the Lagos State House of Assembly, where he forged a benevolent relationship with the Speaker, Hon Mudasiru Obasa.
Disciplined, selfless and reliable, the Late Editorial Board Chairman was a worthsmith, intelligent editor and mercurial writer. He was humble, highly detribalised and an unrepentant stickler to modest living style. Without a vehicle, he would transverse terrains in search of solutions to challenges facing the company.
The ailment that translated him to eternity probably started on October 16, 2019, when his wife called me about his being indisposed and could therefore not come to work. I raced down to his house in Surulere and found him unable to walk. He was rushed to nearby Randle General Hospital, where he was diagnosed as having some complications with his kidneys. Consequently, he was referred to Gbagada General Hospital, for better handling. I personally took him for his first dialysis at a private facility at Oshodi, due to the malfunctioning of the machine at the Gbagada Hospital. We were therefore joyous when he walked into the management meeting three weeks after, looking fit to resume duties. The thunderous applause that greeted his return was phenomenal and an expression of the love we all had for him.
I continued to follow up on his condition even after my voluntary retirement from the company, on health grounds.
Further deterioration in his health was saddening. The medical pronouncement that his kidneys had relapsed to end-stage was mentally tortuous to those of us that were close to him. The option was a kidney transplant, which was to cost about N12 million. Even in his state of health, he was courageous to face death. He declined to have any publication soliciting for fund on his behalf. I could not personally stand such fatal decision on his part and therefore used my persuasive powers to make him change his mind. He gave me the respect and request for fund to save his life was published in the newspapers. The responses were not too encouraging and I had to make further personal appeals to some of our friends. I remain grateful for the prompt positive responses from Mrs. Funke Egbemode, Commissioner for Information, Osun State; Ayo Aminu, MD/Editor-In-Chief, New Telegraph; Mojeed Jamiu, CEO/Editor-In-Chief, Upshot Media; and Funso Aina, among others.
Other donors who responded to earlier publications included Chibuike Donatus Onuigwe, Okeke Ebuka Anthony, Oluwadare Ajadi, Yusuf Suleiman, Okeke Chukwuemeka Benard, China Uzoekwe, Ibrahim Yusuf Gobir Ibrahim, Onweazu Okonji, Ajoke Ogundiran, Chika Onwuka, Tunde Ajayi, Temitope Aina, Bambo Ajadi, Sunday Igboanugo, Millicent Igbinosa, Cecilia Obiagwu, Adekunle Oriyomi, Fatimoh Mohammed, Ayotunde Omolayole, Samuel Omole, Patrick Uformadu, China Alakwe and Marcus Ladipo.
By 3am on Saturday, February 26, his loving and supportive wife, Stella called me to tearfully announce that her husband passed on 30 minutes earlier, at the age of 54.
His stewardship at INL can only be posthumously rewarded with the pursuit of excellence, which was the commitment of our late friend and colleague, for the company. Specifically, Duru would definitely be happy in his eternal rest if the health management scheme, initiated during my tenure is actualised, to promote good health access for the workers.
I have high hopes that the company’s current management will live up to expectations in ensuring that the hopes and aspirations of Duru and other stakeholders are realised, for the desired uplifting of the nation’s media industry.
May the Almighty grant the soul of Donatus Duru eternal rest.
- Ade Ogidan, a former Managing Director of Independent Newspapers lives in Lagos
