Victor Oshisada, the passing of an icon

                    By Bayo Ogunmupe

     Victor Oshineye Oshisada, veteran journalist and educator passed away on the 22nd October, this year aged 79 years. Born in Lagos on 1st June, 1940 to the late Chief Matthew Osimosu Oshisada and late Christianah Oshisada of Ijesa- Ijebu, Odo- Ayanyelu; Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State. He atended Odo Oye Primary School, Mushin, Lagos (1949-1950); St Jude's School, Ijesa-Ijebu (1950-52) and Wesley School. Irolu (1953-54) in Western Region. He was also at the Local Authority Secondary Modern School, Odogbolu in 1957.

     Thererafter, he taught at St John Anglican School, Aroloya, Lagos before proceeding to the Teachers Training College, Surulere where he obtained his Grades One and Two teaching certificates between 1959 and 1964. Later, he taught at various schools among which were St Peter's School, Faji; and St John's Anglican School, Aroloya, Lagos. From there he quit teaching to work as a reporter on the defunct Morning Post, a government newspaper in Lagos. In 1972, he obtained study leave with pay to obtain the certificate in journalism at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Apongbon, Lagos.

     In 1973, he was enticed by Alhaji Babatunde Jose to join his newspaper, The Daily Times of Nigeria. He rose to the post of Deputy Editor at Home Studies; Headlines; and Periodicals in different years. He attended various courses here and overseas, obtaining the Advanced Diploma In Journalism from the Times Journalism Institute, Iganmu, Lagos. He retired from the Daily Times in 1993. Through his professional association with Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he worked briefly with in Alhaji Lateef Jakande's John West Publications in Ikeja.

     As a media practitioner, he contributed various articles and the monthly diaries of events to The Guardian upon which the Editor of The Guardian On Sunday sent us searching for him upon his demise. We were in his Igbogbo, Ikorodu residence where we met his widow from where Olusheye and Olusoji, two of his children contacted us at The Guardian.

     He is greatly missed for his dry humour, discipline and his commitment and passion for journalism. Reminiscences of his literary works bring to mind one topic: “Freeing Politics From Violence,” published by The Guardian on 15 November 2006. There he advised that politics must be freed from violence by making it less financially rewarding. With former governors earning N10 million per month in retirement was the reason why more than 10 people were killed over the gubernatorial election in Kogi State recently.

     Another topic of interest to Pa Oshisada was international politics. Which was why he wrote on The Guardian on 23 November, 2006: “Why

Gaddafi was killed.” He tried to correct the impression that Muammar Gaddafi’s long reign as President of Libya wasn’t anything evil. Indeed we have come to know that Gaddafi had built the largest irrigation system in history, tapping into the primary water cycle. The system supplied  6.5 million cubic meters of fresh water per day to the cities and villages of Libya.

     It enabled Libya to grow fruits, vegetables and grains otherwise impossible to cultivate in the desert of Libya. The project had cost $25 billion completed without outside loans. In 2011, this incredible achievement was destroyed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with depleted uranium nuclear bombs, cutting water supply to six million people. Thus you can see that Gaddafi was a great leader who knew his onions.

     Not many African leaders could achieve this even with long reign. Then Libya became the Mecca for African youth including Nigerians. This did not go down well with the Western powers due to their penchant for domination. Gaddafi is a great lesson to us that Africans can throw up great leaders, if we are circumspect enough.

     On this note may I salute a dean of Nigerian journalism, an omnivorous reader, a convivial, and fanimorous conversationalist. Old age never hindered him from pursuing his passion for journalism. In spite of old age he never stopped reading and research. His neighbors call him Mr white because in his later years he stuck to wearing only white shirt and trousers.