•The Story Of The 24 Year Old Publication
How time flies! I still cannot believe it that City People is 24. It’s been one long, tortous, journey through thick and thin to give birth to that strong brand we are now celebrating. When City People was born in November 1996, it was a simple Black & White 16 page magazine on newsprint. That was at a time that existing magazines were doing colour on bond paper. Many didn’t hide their feeling in concluding that the concept won’t work. But we kept at it, and for the past 24 years without fail, we have kept faith with our readers. And our mission has remained the same over the years, which is: To mirror the lifestyles of our celebrities.
I recollect when the idea of City People first came to mind in 1984. I was then an undergraduate at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. It was one of those nights when we used to read far into the early hours of the morning. I was one of those well known bookworms on campus then. My life revolved around books. Apart from my prescribed text books, I would devour autobiographies and biographies, so much so that by the time I left school in 1987, I had read most of the autobiographies and biographies of well known leaders. I studied History, so I made it a point of duty to read up every available literature on World, History, European History, African History, Nigerian History & Yoruba History.
I was to later teach History at Kwara Polytechnic during my service year. Of course, I was a constant face at the Hezekiah Oluwasanni Library at the University of Ife. It was a huge library full of rare books. At the time I became a student at Ife, there was no book you were looking for that you couldn’t get. So, I immersed myself in books. I would resume with them at the library at 7am and close with them at about 9pm, after which I will leave with my fellow bookworms to the Faculty of Pharmacy Lecture Theatre to continue reading till 1am. I had a friend then who we read together. Sola Ojelade was my friend and reading mate.
It was one of those nights in 1985 that I designed the prototype of City People. I was then a Part 2 undergraduate student of History/Political Science and International Relation. The 3 courses gave me a birds eye view of the world. And the fact that I studied those courses helped in shaping my world view.
It also led me into Journalism. As a student, I wrote on topical issues regularly in Sunday Tribune and The Guardian newspaper.
I wrote feature articles on issues of public interest and I got paid stipends by The Guardian and what we used to do in those days was to wait for when about 5 of your articles are published before you travel to Lagos to collect your allowance. Before I knew it, I had become one of the OPINION/EDITORIAL (OPED) page contributors. And then, I met my Oga, Sir Folu Olamiti. He was then the Editor of Sunday Tribune, which was one of the highest selling titles of the Tribune Group.
And then I met the Newswatch Editors, Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, Yakubu Mohammed and the other super stars in Newswatch then like Soji Akinrinade, Dele Olojede, Dare Babarinsa and many others.
My interaction with them cemented my love for Journalism. One of the things that made me decide to make Journalism my life long career was my relationship with late Dele Giwa and his Deputy, Ray Ekpu. How? I went to work with them in 1985. How did that happen? All the Universities in Nigeria had been closed for months and we were all at home. I was living with my brother at his Ojota home during that period and it was not far away from Newswatch office on Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun.
One morning, I decided to visit Newswatch. At the reception I asked to see late Dele Giwa. I was a great fan of his. I was also a great fan of Newswatch since it began publishing in 1984. One of my lecturer friends and mentor, Prof. Adebayo Williams who was based on campus used to write a regular column for them and I will go to him every Monday to discuss each weeks edition of Newswatch. From inception uptill the time I visited the Oregun office of Newswatch in 1985, I never missed a single copy.
When I asked after Dele Giwa, the Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch, I was told he had travelled, but when I insisted I needed to see one of the Editors, I was directed to see Yakubu Mohammed.
His office was on the 1st floor. I met him and told him my mission. I needed a job with Newswatch with the provision that I didn’t mind if I wasn’t paid. He smiled and said well there was no vacancy. I pleaded with him to let me be a Messenger just for the period of University closure, which was going to be one or 2 months. He told me to see the Newswatch Librarian, Nyaknno Osso, Upstairs. I did. I again told him my mission. He said he could offer me a temporary job to cut daily newspapers and do some filings.
He told me point blank that the only limitation he had was with funding but that he will place me on a weekly TC, which was just peanut. I immediately accepted. That was how I became a staff of Newswatch whilst still being a student at Ife.
I was a Library Attendant and my job was a simple one, take out relevant stories and put them in relevant files. Because I come to work early, as early as 7am, I was saddled with the responsibility of packaging a set of 5 daily newspapers for the 5 Editors of Newswatch and I was to personally hand deliver, each set. That ensured that I saw them on a daily basis and that brought me close to them.
That was how I ended up working with them for close to 5 months.
By the time I was leaving, my boss organised a sendforth for me and he offered me an automatic Permanent Vacation job. He then gave me N25,000 cash as parting shot. I was overwhelmed. I was over the moon. I went back to school and kept coming back for vac jobs. Till I graduated from Ife, I spent my vac jobs with Newswatch.
Of course, Dele Giwa died along the line and that shattered me on October 19, 1986. My relationship with Newswatch convinced me that Journalism was the profession to follow.
All through the time, I knew that I had developed an interest in a people oriented form of Journalism.
During my service year in Ilorin, I started a new relationship with The Herald Newspaper owned by Kwara State Government. I also had a stint with Insider Confidential in Victoria Island edited by Seyi Olu Awofeso.
I then joined Nduka Obaigbena’s THISWEEK Magazine, then African Concord, then African Guardian and left with some of my seniors to set up The News. They were the finest brains in the industry. I had the honour to have joined Bayo Onanuga, Babafemi Ojudu, Idowu Obasa (our Accountant), Dapo Olorunyomi, and Kunle Ajibade, the literary giant.
I rose to become the Editor of Tempo Magazine at a very early age. TEMPO was that fiery anti-government weekly magazine which gave IBB and Abacha sleepless nights.
It was from there I decided to set up City People in November 1996 as a celebrity magazine to mirror the lifestyles of celebrities.
I deliberately gave this background so that many people can know how I nurtured my dream of publishing City People. People have asked how we came about the name City People. The question is also often asked how I raised my seed money. I had to make use of my savings when all those who promised to invest in the business backed out last minute. I sold my mothers white Volkswagen. I also sold a Daewoo Racer I had bought from one of the liquidated banks on Auction.
Was I also afraid that the project will fail? No. I was too sure and convinced it will work, despite all those who doubted its viability.
City People @ 24 has taught me a lot of lessons: (1) Be deeply spiritual: have a relationship with God. (2) Don’t listen to what many people think of your idea. You are the one God has given the vision, not your friends. (3) Start small and grow big. (4) Always think of offering Value. (5) Always think of a service you want to offer. (6) Be courageous. Be daring. Take calculated risk (7) Know that the terrain will always be rough. Be ready to weather any storm that might come your way. (8) Passion is key. Be passionate about what you do. You have to force yourself to love what you do. (9) See your product as a little baby that needs to be nurtured to grow. (10) Read books; Go for short term courses. I have learnt a lot. I have learnt the hard way. In the last 24 years, I have given up everything I have to make City People survive. Thank God we are 24 and still counting.
