This is the story of why former senator and one-time Governor of Enugu State, Chief Jim Ifeanyi Nwobodo and his beloved wife, Madam Patricia Nwobodo don’t joke with Dayo Asaju, a veteran journalist and Publisher of First Weekly Magazine. The Nwobodos made their love and respect for Mr. Asaju public during his 60th Birthday celebration in Lagos. They described him as a rare breed of journalist who stands tall among his contemporaries as an honest and dedicated professional. Having come a long way with them, they have considered him part of their family and they don’t hide anything from him. They always throw their weight behind him, showing their support in everything he does.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Asaju celebrated his 60th birthday in Ikeja, Lagos and Chief Nwobodo and his wife were received as special guests at the birthday reception party. You hardly see Chief Nwobodo attend parties anyhow event unless his host is so important and a person of substance. He did not only come with his wife, they came along with their children. They all stayed for almost the entire event. This got many people interested in how the celebrant was able to drag the elder statesman to his event. While giving tribute to the celebrant, Chief Nwobodo handed the microphone to his wife to speak on his behalf, which she did well. She took her time to speak about Mr. Asaju, how their paths crossed over 30 years ago and why they have continued to hold him in high esteem and even have literally adopted him as a son of the family. In her speech she said;
“We’ve known Dayo for many years. For you to understand how close he is to us, my twins who are here were toddlers when we met him. Dayo and some other journalists were coming around. As politicians, we always have them coming around. But we found something special about Dayo. Dayo has a disarming humility. Dayo is an honest man. With due respect to gentlemen of the press, there’s this perception that when you are dealing with pressmen, you should be very careful; but not with Dayo. When a pressman comes into the office of a politician, you look around and make sure that there is nothing they are going to say out there to embarrass you.
“Dayo within a short time became like a member of the family. We found him honest, we found Dayo consistent. And there were some qualities we saw in him that were pointing to the fact that he would be successful. Since then, we have not been far away from Dayo and he has not been far away from us. When his father died, I was far away in the states. My husband called me and said Dayo lost his dad. I couldn’t come back. So he said that he was going to join him. He cancelled his trip. That would show you how close he was to us. He was there and I sent a tribute he would present on my behalf to tell Dayo that although your father is dead, you have a father in us.
“Through our life challenges, Dayo has always been there with us, come rain, come shine, in our highs and lows. Dayo, we cannot forget you. You are really good. You have a long way to go. Very few publishers who are as young as you were out of business. But you maintained your humility. If I want to say everything about you, I would bore your guests. I know you are a good man and so, continue to be good. I want to also congratulate his wife. Most times, we tend to forget the woman who absorbs all the stress at home. Congratulations. You are the second celebrant today. Yourself and your husband.
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