By Yusuf Ozi-Usman
I was rudely greeted by the word on my phone screen: “Very Sad Announcement. Sad, very sad news. It has just been confirmed that Emeritus President, Mr Dotun Oladipo, died today. May his soul rest in peace..Amen.” This was when I woke up from sleep at about 6.15am today, August 26, 2026. The announcer is the current President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Danlami Nmodu, mni. Dotun Oladipo was the President of the Guild from 2017 to 2021.
The announcement of the death of Dotun Oladipo in such a casual manner left me in disbelief at first, confusion at second and total psychological disorganization in the final count.
I beckoned my wife, who, though had never met him but so much liked him through my interactions with him, and broke the news to her, still sitting at the edge of the bed. She shouted on top of her voice so loud that our children and grand children rushed into my bedroom in panic.
Still not believed that Danlami Nmodu got it right, I began to foray into other outlets; the media, the contacts and the intuitive search for the truth-of-the-matter. In the process, I stumbled on the reality of the cause of his death, in methodolical details. And, so, Dotun Oladipo, who fondly called me “The Elder” is dead? Really?
Within just a few years of knowing Dotun Oladipo, I was able to properly fixed him as a devoted leader; the leader that was very much concerned about the welfare and happiness of the people he led, though everyone in the house could find his or her way. I have been able to unmistakably fix him in the mould of he who carried humility as a responsibility to humanity, much more to elders, preparing dexterously for the day like this, by avoiding stepping on thoes violently; the man who learned so fast the art of conviviality across board. It became so part of his comportment to the extent that when you are speaking about how nice he is to you at a personal level, the person you are speaking to would also tell you how nice he is to him or her. That is to conclusively infer that Dotun Oladipo was universally nice.
I will not forget how he almost singlehandedly picked me to conduct the 2021 GOCOP election, for the election of a person that would succeed him as its President, and other Executive Councill members. It was in Lagos.
I didn’t initially buy the idea of heading an electoral committee for the conduct of the election for some reasons. One of the reasons was that being a leader of journalists as far back as 1997, I thought I have paid my due in this noble profession and unionism. I thought that I should not be burthered about the direct affairs of veteran journalists with all the savvy, especially the fact that I was now older.
The second reason was that I was not even ready to attend that year’s Annual Conference. Dotun Oladipo, through phone calls, begged me and persuaded me to attend the Conference. He assured me that he would pay for my return flight ticket and provide me with other things that would make me comfortable. The event was scheduled for Lagos.
While in Lagos, Dotun Oladipo was all over the place to make sure that the election was successful. And it did.
He did the same thing to me in the 2021 and 2025 elections for the election of resh Executive Councils.
Only about six months ago, I sought to go into partnership with him on a productive project. He accepted the partnership offer, saying in a WhatsApp message to me: “whatever you want me to do I will do it, sir. What is good for you is good for me, sir.” While we are still in the process of concretizing the partnership, he died. And left me thinking: what really is life worth? Today you are bubbling, the next moment you are buried. Today you are lively, the next moment you are lifeless. Today it is you on stage, the next moment, the wind blows you out. Today you are here, the next moment you are under….just like the rambunctious Publisher of The Eagle online and former President of GOCOP, Mr. Oladotun Oladipo. He was in his office yesterday, August 25, planning for a rosy tomorrow, today, he’s gone under. What a life. God!!!
Yusuf Ozi–Usman, nipr, is Editor-in-chief of Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper and hardcopy magazine in Abuja, Nigeria.
