BY REUBEN ABATI
Sam Nda-Isaiah, our friend and colleague who died the other day, aged 58, will certainly be remembered as one of the major contributors to the practice and promotion of the journalism profession in Nigeria, in the last moments of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st Century, with his craft, writings, enterprise and involvement in the politics of the trade. His death was sudden and shocking. A few days earlier, he had been actively involved in the activities of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), precisely at the change of guards ceremony which led to the emergence of a new executive in charge of the association. The communique issued at the end of that NPAN meeting talked about the need for the Nigerian government to take allegations of a second wave of the COVID-19 more seriously, and begin to make arrangements for the procurement, the distribution of vaccines in Nigeria and the inoculation of our over 200 million vulnerable populatio
Sam Nda-Isaiah: He stuttered, But Never a Clutter In His Words, By Louis Odion 7 min read
The Kakaki of Nupe truly stuttered acutely, but there was never a clutter in his words – whether spoken or written, and deployed vigorously in defence of his convictions or country. With him, there was nothing like perching conveniently on the fence in literal or literary terms. As powerfully expressed in his writings, he never quibbled or equivocated as to leave a doubt on where he stood in the hour of national dilemma or a moral crisis.
The Samuel we read about in the Holy Bible was a transformational figure in the Old Testament. Through him finally came kings to shepherd the nation of Israel after Joshua. The miracle child of Hannah was ordained to administer divine oath on God’s anointed.
By
Wed Dec 16 2020
It was Winston Churchill, a war-time British Prime Minister, that was once asked about the length of a good speech. In a witty reply, he said: “A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt: long enough to cover the subject, and short enough to create interest.”
It is on this premise that I write a short tribute to my late friend, an indefatigable entrepreneur, a prolific columnist and consummate publisher, Sam Nda-Isaiah.
Fondly called ‘Sam’ by his intimate friends and associates, the late founder and publisher of Leadership newspapers group was a man endowed with an incredible valour.
Sam Nda-Isaiah
Rains of tributes and encomiums have continued to pour in for the late Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah, the Chairman and Publisher of Leadership Group of Newspapers. Nda-Isaiah died in Abuja on Friday night, after a brief illness.
In a statement issued by Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and signed by its President, Malam Kabiru Yusuf and Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the association said, “this huge loss is even more devastating and painful because Sam was not only a colleague but a friend to all in the industry.
“His commitment to the values and objectives of the association was unflagging to the very end; he was together with the rest of us only last week in Lagos, when elections into the national executive council of the NPAN were held, and Sam was elected as an ex-officio member.”
He stuttered, but never a clutter in Sam s words thecable.ng - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thecable.ng Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.