It's celebration galore as PUNCH Nigeria Restricted, writer of essentially the most learn books The PONS, Saturday PUNCH, Sunday PUNCH And PONS On-line bells 50.
The corporate clocked its fiftieth anniversary on March 18, 2023, however the celebration was moved to this yr as 2023 was an election yr within the nation.
On Saturdaybegan the celebration with a colourful new soccer match on the Mobolaji Johnson Area (previously Onikan Stadium), Onikan, Lagos Island. It was enjoyable watching the match within the conventional pink and white of PUNCH and cheering on our staff, PUNCHERS FC.
Our opponent within the match was the Media Amalgamated FC which was populated by our colleagues from The nation, This present day, Management, The guard, Telegraph, Enterprise dayAnd Stand.
Media Amalgamated FC's try and spoil our present with their slender 2-1 victory was not profitable. We took the result of the match to coronary heart and moved on.
As you learn this, a three-day images exhibition is claimed to have commenced on the Alliance Francaise de Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre, Osborne Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, to offer our readers and different Nigerians the chance to see the perfect photographs from our intensive photographs to have a look at. archive of the most important information occasions within the nation's historical past.
On Thursdaya distinguished public lecture can be held on the Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. The lecture, which can be delivered by Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, can be attended by leaders from the private and non-private sectors.
On Saturday March 2, 2024At Eko Motels and Suites in Lagos, PUNCH will host a black-tie dinner to acknowledge the contributions of its stakeholders to its success.
The grand finale of the anniversary is a employees occasion ninth of March the place present and former workers are honored for his or her contribution to PUNCH's successes.
I’m amongst those that sit up for this celebration, having contributed 23 of the corporate's 50 years of existence. I joined the corporate in February 2001. It's value celebrating and we're going to occasion arduous, similar to we labored arduous.
I began my journalistic profession from scratch at PUNCH. I began at what was then often known as the communications desk, the place you had been saddled with receiving tales by way of fax from reporters exterior the primary workplace. That have was not like what is feasible now that tales are despatched by way of e mail and even WhatsApp. It was an period when reporters, after writing their tales with lengthy palms, may queue up on the defunct Nigerian Telecommunications Restricted workplace nearest to them to take their tales to the headquarters to ship. They known as the workplace landline and demanded a fax tone. Let me cease right here earlier than I begin sounding like an outdated man that I’m not.
I went from the communications desk to the sector. I lined a number of areas, comparable to crime/policing, common coverage and faith, earlier than being transferred out of HQ. That missionary journey began once I turned an Oyo State correspondent from the place I used to be transferred to Abuja to report from the Presidential Villa. After the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari evicted me from the Presidential Villa for doing my job (a narrative for one more day), I’ve since returned to the headquarters.
Final yr, former workers of PUNCH Newspapers unveiled a e-book titled “OUR PUNCH YEARS,” stated to be the “recollections and insider accounts of former editors and workers of Nigeria's most learn newspaper on the age of fifty.” The greater than 400-page e-book was written by 38 ex-PUNCHERS who reported on their memorable experiences whereas working at The PONS. I’ve a duplicate of the e-book. I labored with or beneath a lot of those that contributed to that e-book, so I may relate to a few of their tales.
I even have many fond reminiscences of my greater than twenty-year keep at PUNCH, the place many consider there is no such thing as a job safety.
There was an occasion that occurred once I was nonetheless PUNCH's Oyo State correspondent that I nonetheless bear in mind. It was a gathering I had with the then Chairman of the corporate, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola.
I used to be on my technique to the Oyo State Police Command headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan for a press convention when my cellphone rang and the caller launched himself as “Chief Ogunshola, PUNCH Chairman.” Earlier than then, I had by no means had a face-to-face assembly with Chief Ogunshola aside from seeing him within the workplace sometimes. The very first thing that got here to my thoughts after his self-introduction was that one in all my colleagues had known as to make enjoyable of me. So my first intuition was to show to the individual that I wasn't falling for his or her joke.
I had the chance to boost this level when Chief Ogunshola stated he was calling as a result of he had an task for me. At that second I replied confidently: “However you stated you’re the chairman of PUNCH. Then you may cross on the task you will have for me by my editor.”
I feel Chief Ogunshola realized that I actually wasn't satisfied that he was the one on the cellphone with me. He took the time to clarify the steps he took to achieve my editor and the way he received my cellphone quantity. It was then that I spotted that the extremely revered Chief Ogunshola was the one who was actually talking to me. I felt sweat throughout me, like somebody simply got here out of a swimming pool. I apologized to him. Surprisingly, he wasn't indignant. His reply in his gentle voice was, “No, you didn't do something mistaken.” He stated anybody may have known as claiming to be Chief Ogunshola.
Chief Ogunshola was then scheduled to ship a lecture in Ibadan and he needed to verify sure data he needed to incorporate in his speech. He gave me the duty of confirming the data. He dictated his e mail deal with to me and gave me three days to ship the message to him. I made certain I accomplished that task that very same day!
On the finish of our dialog, I known as my bosses at headquarters to report myself. All of them laughed at me, however all got here to the conclusion that I had nothing to fret about.
The day Chief Ogunshola got here to ship the lecture in Ibadan, one of many then administrators of PUNCH, the late Dr. Lalekan Are, holding my hand, took me to the place Chief Ogunshola was sitting and launched me (a reporter) to him as “PUNCH Editor”. in Ibadan.”
Physician Are was like that too. He equally launched me to many influential individuals together with the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the then Governor of Oyo State. I had a implausible relationship with him. Might his soul proceed to relaxation in peace.
So it's a celebration for PUNCH. Right here's a toast to a different 50 years!
