By Lekan Otufodunrin
I had the privilege of having Professor Olatunji Dare as my project supervisor in 1985 at the department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos.
My initial topic was on one of those popular media coverage of one issue or the other that will involve using a questionnaire, but Dr. Dare back then, counseled against writing a project based on unreliable data that some students claim they gathered during their research.
He suggested historical research that would be valuable for the industry and we agreed on the topic: Nigerian Union of Journalists ( NUJ): Achievements, challenges, and Prospects.
To date, my project is still been quoted in many publications about the history of the NUJ. I remain grateful for his guidance and support.
Professor Dare’s Features Writing class also gave me the opportunity to learn from a lecturer who not only taught the theory of writing but had his articles published regularly in The Guardian.
What I learned from him gave me the courage to send my opinion articles to The Guardian and other newspapers and had some published like our seniors, Fred Ohwahwa and Soni Asulemen.
At The Nation where he is a columnist and Editorial Adviser, Professor Dare once greeted me so well and chatted with me at a reception for him that a senior editorial staff who was not aware of our previous relationship had to ask me what earned me the kind attention I got from him.
Once in a while, Prof Dare will discuss with me some issues I wrote about in my column and will always ask about my family. When my father died, he read about it and sent me money to support my burial expenses.
What else can I say about a lecturer and teacher of note one cannot forget for his high quality of scholarship and professional know-how? He is the kind they call “lecturer wey sabi”
Happy 80th birthday Prof
