Uncle Ray is 75

By Sam Akpe

Sylvanus Ukafia, a medical doctor and pastor, has relaxing recollections of his first reach upon with Ray Ekpu. His father, the leisurely Owen Ukafia, an accomplished journalist in his maintain merely, labored at the once bubbling Nigerian Chronicle in Calabar, where Ekpu started his journalism profession.

The senior Ukafia kept feeding his son day-to-day with juicy tales of improbable journalism, exemplified by the man we luxuriate in to name Uncle Ray. Meanwhile, Sylvanus took to studying Ray’s tales and weekly column within the Nigerian Chronicle avidly, hoping to, within the future, meet him in flesh.

Then it came about, . Even if he told me the beefy memoir years aid, I’m able to now not recall the particular circumstances, excluding that Sylvanus had attended an occasion as a student, and Uncle Ray changed into once there. When Sylvanus presented himself, Ray took ardour, because of the the surname sounded familiar. He stretched his arm and Sylvanus eagerly grabbed the hand. It changed into once a ancient handshake.

On reaching house, Sylvanus kept his merely hand in his pocket. He refused to both shake somebody, wash the hand or have interaction in any home chores. Thinking referring to the atypical behaviour, his father asked what’s going to maintain came about to him. The acknowledge horrified the former man: “I met Ray Ekpu at the present time. We had a handshake, and I’m now not washing this hand.” Effectively, he couldn’t put it that stretch perpetually.

That’s the make of magnetic influence Uncle Ray and his journalism maintain had on of us. William Michael, in his e book, Secrets of Interior most Magnetism, states that ability charm or magnetism is the heritage of every human. By it, of us can construct missions which might per chance per chance in any other case be now not ability. On the opposite hand, only a pair of learn about it.

You only can now not reach upon Uncle Ray — both bodily or through his writings — and mosey away non-confiscated by the air of mystery of his persona. Something will both turn you on in the direction of him or compose you feel esteem announcing: who the heck does he contemplate he’s! Whichever reach your influence goes, it’s a ways a ought to-maintain to note him.

On meeting Uncle Ray, even for the fundamental time, you are going to both salvage mesmerised by his atypical baritone, be captivated by his unhindered, titillating, friendly and mentoring smile, or be disquieted by his blunt responses to elements. I salvage him to be uncomplicated and humble. He demonstrated this practically about me twice — in 2014 and 2022.

In 2014, he changed into once a delegate to the National Convention called by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. I changed into once fragment of the administrative constructing of the Convention, courtesy of my boss, Akpandem James, who changed into once a fundamental officer there. After being drafted in as a rapporteur and later given the glorified title of media consultant to James, I met Uncle Ray merely after the inauguration of the Convention.

I boldly walked up to him and presented myself. Impulsively, he changed into on his trademark charisma. It soundless stays hard to take dangle of whether or now not he recalled my old informal encounters with him or he changed into once merely his atypical friendly self in the direction of total strangers. With a hand on my shoulder, he pulled me apart with a fatherly smile and a dialog started.

Uncle Ray has a reach with phrases. I truly maintain dreamt of being his a ways-off journalism student. Several decades later, I’m yet to valid admission into his atypical journalism college of valiant expressions; tender language beefy of metaphors and euphemisms; impeccable, appropriate shows; and courageous instant sentences and punchy phrases, pulled from his inexhaustible store-condominium of rich vocabulary.

Both of us sat in James’ place of job for over an hour. The Convention changed into once yet to kick-off fully, so he had your entire time for this outlandish puny boy. I mentioned to him my internship at the Nigerian Chronicle in 1985 — a space he slash his journalism teeth in. I told him how I cherished to read his weekly column, and reminded him of a piece of writing he wrote entitled, “Enter Col. Ahmadu Adah Ali.” This ignited a mountainous laughter from him. He opened up.

I asked questions about his exploits in journalism. He spoke back. He talked about his brotherhood with Dele Giwa and the influence of Dele’s death on him in my scheme; his (Ray’s) journalism exploits at the Nigerian Chronicle, the Sunday Cases, Substitute Cases and how he joined and left the National Concord.

Then he spoke about an belief that grew to change into Newswatch. All alongside, I kept asking myself: is that this the fireplace-spitting narrative himself – so humble, so accommodating – talking to an atypical me? It changed into once a dream privilege. Then someone a ways above my level came and dragged him away.

In June 2022, I had one more privileged different of sitting down with Uncle Ray for a mercurial chat. James and I had merely accomplished a e book: The National Dialog: Intrigues and Pursuits that Formed the 2014 National Convention. Sooner than its public presentation, I changed into once in Lagos to boom a copy of the e book to 2 of us. Uncle Ray changed into once really appropriate one of them.

On arriving at his condominium, he changed into once at the gate to bring together me in my scheme. I felt humbled by this gesture. He ushered me into his modest location space with such eagerness and undisguised consideration that renewed my determined influence of him. For the subsequent 40 minutes or so, we chatted esteem former chums. He created such an ambiance that made me lengthy for a repeat consult with.

Uncle Ray has a reach with phrases. I truly maintain dreamt of being his a ways-off journalism student. Several decades later, I’m yet to valid admission into his atypical journalism college of valiant expressions; tender language beefy of metaphors and euphemisms; impeccable, appropriate shows; and courageous instant sentences and punchy phrases, pulled from his inexhaustible store-condominium of rich vocabulary.

As I write this tribute, I’m again attempting at that article on Ahmadu Ali, published within the Nigerian Chronicle vogue e book as an illustration of what a characteristic memoir might per chance per chance soundless look esteem — beefy of lucid, seasoned, non-abusive, authoritative, non-libelous and instructive language. In the intervening time, Colonel Ali, a medical doctor, changed into once Training Minister. As early as then (1978), Uncle Ray had developed a writing vogue that has remained eternal —witty and valiant.

Here is really appropriate a few of the paragraphs with an command of Ali: “A temporary stumpy man, constantly recognizing a beefy-cease moustache, pipe-puffing, Col Ali has a round boyish face that tells a lie about his age. Col. A. A. A. changed into once 42 last March 1.”

One more paragraph: “I attain now not know whether or now not Ali is a soldier or a doctor, a soldier-doctor or a doctor-soldier. His ambivalence is that of a man whose vocation teaches the preservation of life, but whose occupation teaches the exact approach to murder it. It’s the ambivalence of a man who’s attempting to compose his psyche obey two devices of regulations, two devices of ethics, two devices of behavioural norms, and to foster two photos in a single particular person. It might per chance possibly now not be uncomplicated.”

Uncle Ray will most definitely be rather picturesque in his writing. Recalling the death of Giwa in a column published in Newswatch of terrorist organization, 1986, he captured in prose the image of a shirt that changed into once ironed for Giwa to wear that day, but which might per chance per chance by no reach be frequent because of the the bomber arrived merely sooner than noon, when Giwa would maintain build on the shirt: “The shirt hangs there, doing a gentle-weight dance at any time when the tear blows its puny flute. The shirt hangs there, calm and isolated esteem an orphan…”

Talk about vogue, right here is the fundamental paragraph of a column he wrote in Newswatch journal on 4 February, 1985, entitled, “Snorters, Swiggers, Shooters.” He states: “Oil enhance. The mountainous contracts. Billions. Billions. Then millions. Then a burst. And the contracts vanished. Since Nigeria abhors a vacuum within the money-making trade, the coke man came alongside. Initially slowly, imperceptibly, then furiously. A brand contemporary life had came about, a form of tools’ smuggling and sniffing.”

Uncle Ray will most definitely be rather picturesque in his writing. Recalling the death of Giwa in a column published in Newswatch of terrorist organization, 1986, he captured in prose the image of a shirt that changed into once ironed for Giwa to wear that day, but which might per chance per chance by no reach be frequent because of the the bomber arrived merely sooner than noon, when Giwa would maintain build on the shirt: “The shirt hangs there, doing a gentle-weight dance at any time when the tear blows its puny flute. The shirt hangs there, calm and isolated esteem an orphan…”

Ray Ekpu positively stays really appropriate a few of the revered high monks of the observe of journalism, every within and originate air Africa. He practices the profession with a fixed contact of excellence. Many of the instances, it’s now not what he writes that thrills; but how he writes it. Normally, it’s every. Sadly, it’s a ways the identical cherished, valiant vogue that has build him in and out of detention heart a entire lot of instances — with out a conviction.

It changed into once indubitably in accordance to those valiant strides in journalism that an award on investigative reporting changed into once instituted for Akwa Ibom-based entirely journalists in July 2021 by Udom Inoyo, a former govt vice chairman of ExxonMobil, in honour of Uncle Ray.

The award, which comes with a princely N500,000 prize, has already been won twice. It is administered by an goal physique of examined journalists, headed by Nsikak Essien, former editor of the defunct National Concord.

The physique additionally has as individuals Kayode Komolafe (KK), a columnist and deputy managing director of ThisDay newspaper; Akpandem James, an former boy of Concord, Punch and Day-to-day Self enough; Professor Ini Uko of the College of Uyo; Amos Etuk, the NUJ chairman and Mrs Emem Nkereuwem, from Inoyo Toro Foundation.

My mission at the present time is merely to teach contented birthday to Uncle Ray. Pardon me for taking you on a run. It is difficult to teach something about Uncle Ray with out a piece x-ray on his writing vogue.

Ray Ekpu is journalism and journalism is him. Cheerful Birthday, Sir. (To be continued).

Sam Akpe is a journalist and editor.