Sir Ademola Adetula: 27 Years Ago, My Boss ‘Saw’ My Future

When Sir Ademola Adetula prayed that a departing colleague would one day return to lead the newspaper he was leaving, the younger journalist could only laugh in disbelief. Twenty-seven years later, that moment has become part of a tribute to a mentor whose prediction appeared to see far beyond the present.

Adetula, a veteran journalist, master news writer, investigative reporter and media administrator, died at 74. He was also a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic and a Knight of Saint John International, but colleagues remembered him less for titles than for the simple way he lived.

His professional standards shaped generations of journalists. A story submitted to him had to be impartial and balanced, with claims confirmed by relevant parties. Sources had to be credible or verifiable. The finished report, he believed, should move in clear, flowing news prose that readers could understand.

Colleagues associated his influence especially with the Kwara State-owned Herald newspaper. They recalled that the opening paragraph had to determine the headline because it served as the summary of the entire report. His approach represented a form of developmental journalism built on strong writing without sensationalism or dangerous insinuation.

Adetula also applied strict principles outside the newsroom. A colleague in the advertising department remembered his insistence that advertising payments first reach the company’s account untouched. Across these memories, the tribute presents a journalist who combined professional discipline with humility and left an enduring mark on Nigerian media.

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Adetula, spreading his arms above me, prayed quite canonically with effusions that denoted that he was almost asking God to make me change my decision. But ending his prayers, Sir Adetula said, “Oh God Almighty, in future, this particular newspaper house that he is disenchanted with and leaving, let him return there to head it.”