Opinion: Tolu Fatoyinbo and Jimmy Atte: Icons from an era of excellence By Is'haq Modibbo Kawu

Date: 2015-06-18

IT was on Monday this week that I read of the passing of Jimmy Atte, the former Executive Director Programmes at NTA, who was also one of the pioneers of NTA in Ilorin. Just before I commenced writing my column this week, I called Femi Ibrahim of NTA News in Abuja, to confirm the news of Oga Jimmy Atte's death. He affirmed that it was true. I had earlier decided to write a tribute this week to ToluFatoyinbo, the ace sports commentator, who was recently buried and to whom Kayode Soyinka and Fabio Olanipekun had written very sympathetic tributes, in the wake of his death. In 1985, the National Sports Festival held in Ilorin.

Tagged "KWARA 85", Radio Kwara was the fulcrum of the live broadcast of the games. And as we were preparing for the live broadcast of the opening ceremony, there entered ToluFatoyinbo! He was fresh from providing live commentaries for Nigeria's Golden Eaglets, who had taken the world by storm at the Under-17 World Championship, I think in China. He was the ultimate showman and while we had a rough introduction at the beginning, we would later work together as commentators, newsreaders and reporters during the festival, with Tolu Fatoyinboand the late Sebastian Ofurum, being the senior partners in our broadcasts. We retained a friendship and an affectionate respect into the future.

Tolu Fatoyinbo belonged to a distinguished cast of sports commentators that were trained in the rigorously professional traditions of Radio Nigeria, in those good old days.

He was as brilliant as he was meticulous in the preparations that went into his work as a commentator and it was a hallmark of the work of the masters: from Ishola Folorunsho through to Earnest Okonkwo and Sebastian Offurum, Kevin Ejiofor to Tolu Fatoyinbo, that they brought the events they covered into the homes of millions of Nigerians as they used words to paint pictures vividly for their listeners. For a long time, even when television began to provide live telecasts of football games, Nigerians would watch the events on their television sets but listen to the radio commentaries as accompaniment.

With Tolu Fatoyinbo's death, we lost one of the last great names and voices from a distinguished cast that made our lives so much better because of the way they touched our lives.

Similarly, with Jimmy Atte's death, we also lost one of the greatest practitioners of television programming that Nigeria ever produced. I think one of Atte's greatest abilities was to see and nurture other people's talents. I became a very famous Deejay on radio in Ilorin by the 1980s. After my shows, Jimmy Atte was one of those who would regularly call me to express appreciation of my ability. I knew he worked at NTA Ilorin, but we had never met, until one fine morning when he called as was his wont, but that day, he invited me to meet him at his office.

When I got there, he informed me that he had been thinking over a couple of months on how he could create a television programme around my ability as a radio deejay. He had finally worked out the idea and had invited me to work with him. I was pleasantly surprised and over the next couple of weeks, I went back and forth as we gave life to an outline of an idea that became a programme that I presented and was centred around music and musicians on NTA Ilorin.

That was the quintessential Jimmy Atte, whom I still think was the best DG NTA NEVER had and it was a great pity that the politics of television broadcasting did not allow him to reach the peak, that he so eminently deserved. But that did not dim his esteem as one of the greatest heroes of Nigerian television broadcasting! With Jimmy Atte's death this week, we have certainly lost a genuine Nigerian patriot who loved his job passionately as an expression of the love he has for his country. May God give the families and colleagues of Tolu Fatoyinbo and Jimmy Atte, the fortitude to bear their passing!

Source

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Abdulraufu Mustapha     Offorjama     Saliu Ajia     Rafiu Ibrahim     David Oyedepo     Olomu     Ganmo Electricity Sub-Station     Clement Yomi Adeboye     Elesie Of Esie     Old Oyo     Kayode Laro     Riskat Opakunle     Charcoal     Rihanat Ajia     Ilorin West     Nigerian Correctional Service     COVID     AbdulRauf Keji     Bashirat Bola Bello     Christopher Odetunde     Raliat Elelu-Habeeb     Ayinke Saka     Omotosho     Abdul Jimoh Mohammed     Omu Aran     Rice Farmers Association Of Nigeria     Abdulwasiu Bolaji Adeyi     Akume     Arandun     Ilorin Likeminds Foundation     Abdulmumini Sanni Jawondo     Hussein Olokooba     Bolakale Kawu Agaka     Wale Oladepo     Flights To Ilorin     Rotimi Samuel Olujide     Ibraheem Adeola Katibi     Yaman     Moronfoye     Olawuyi     Oniwasi Agbaye     RTEAN     Lawal Olohungbebe     Quareeb Islamic Association     Oba Abdulkadir La\'aro     Yoonus Kola Olatinwo     Adolescent Girls Initiative For Learning And Empowerment     Congress For National Consensus     Michael Ologundea     Gamji Members Association     CUTI     Ayinde Oki     Muritala Olarewaju     Abdulrazaq Adebayo     Suraj Tunji Oyewale     SSA Youth Engagement     Okanlawon Musa     Lithium     KWSUED     Iyabo Dupe Adekeye     Oro Grammar School Old Students Association     Abubakar Bature Sulu-Gambari     Kwara State Health Insurance Agency     General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport     Ganiyu Abolarin     Shehu Alimi Foundation For Peace And Development     Garba Ayodele Wahab     Nigerian Medical Association     Mashood Abdulrafiu Agboola     Oniyangi Kunle Sulaiman     Salihu Jibril Garbi     Islamic Development Bank     Yinka Aluko     Muslim Media Watch Group Of Nigeria     Ilorin Amusement Park     Pius Abioje     Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Undergraduate Bursary     Fulani     Abubakar Usman Jos     Ibrahim Abduquadri Abikan     Moro     Kunle Okeowo     Folajimi Aleshinloye     Bolaji Gambari     Lawal Arinola Kudirat     Dagbalodo     Alabi Lawal     Ahmed Alhasssan     Bamidele Adegoke     Ahmed Bolaji Nagode     Abdulrauf Aliyu     Admiralty Villa     Lai Mohammed     Code Of Conduct Tribunal     Saadu Gbogbo Iwe     Chief Imam Of Ilorin     Labour Party     Abdullahi G. Mohammad     Awili Pedro     IEDPU     Olumide Daniel Ibitoye     Danladi     United Nigeria Airline     Centre For Digital Economy     Crystal Corner Shops     Ibrahim Jawondo     Amusa Bello     Ubandoma     Chartered Institute Of Personnel Management Of Nigeria     Na\'Allah     KWAFFA     Salaudeen Oyewale     Durosinlohun Atiku     Fareedah Dankaka     IF-K     Dunmade     KSIRS     Nupe     Quareeb Islamic Association     Kwara State University Of Education     REO CAKES     Titus Suberu-Ajibola     Park     Mahmud Ayinla Giwa     Ndakene     Hydro-electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission     Harafat E. Mukadam     Joseph Daudu     UNIFEMGA     Ayo Salami     Ethical College     Olatunji Bamgbola     Ado Ibrahim     Taofeek Ibraheem     Oye Tinuoye     Rafiu Olasile     UTME     Ojo Fadumila     Dan-Kazeem     Kayode Zubair     Taiwo Joseph     Turaki     Ganmo     Folaranmi Aro     Musbau A. Akanji     Mohammed Saidu     New Nigeria People’s Party     Damilola Yusuf Adelodun     Kwara State Government     Ifelodun     Adedayo Yusuf Abdulkareem     Abdulraheem Olesin     Kwara TV