A gem came my way

A gem came my way

By Yinka Olujimi

“Yinka, I’m told you need a roommate for your newly rented room,” Joke Elemide inquired and I responded in the affirmative.

“Well, this is a friend. He is a good guy and has just been given admission into the university. You guys should be good together,” Joke added and left.

“My name is Misty. Muyiwa Adeyemi Misty,” the lanky man said as he offered a warm handshake.

I had just stepped out of the Lecture Room 101, Ijebu Igbo Campus of the then Ogun State University, now Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, that hazy morning of 1988, when Joke, our senior introduced us.

As I tried to size up the man before me, who would later be my roommate, friend and brother – in that order – one thing immediately struck me: There is a hand of God in this meeting. It turned out that I was not wrong.

For one year, we lived off-campus at the Odobotu area of Ijebu Igbo. I had gained admission into the university a year earlier as a student of Philosophy, while Misty came in as a Direct Entry student of Political Science, so we were both 200-Level students.

We shared some courses together and had all the fun of young men together. As students from two struggling homes, we had our shares of privation, but Misty was the resourceful personality who would bring home delicacies somehow, anyhow.

Examples: In his class was a young man from a privileged home who loved books, but the feeling was not mutual. The more the student struggled to comprehend what was being taught, the worse his confusion became. Then came Misty, the saviour! Both of them struck a bargain: Muyiwa would spend at least one hour after class every day at the troubled student’s hostel to break down the difficult subjects. In return, the young man would provide lunch and extras to take home for me, his brother!

The fellow student, a son of a gas station owner with more than enough money to spare, gladly accepted the bargain. In no time, Muyiwa had sharpened the skills of the fellow student and it was great seeing his proud parents enjoy the glory of their son’s success on graduation day.  Our bellies were full too.

For the 1988/89 academic session that we lived together, Muyiwa was always a delight. When the year ended, we decided to rent separate rooms.  One thing that struck me most was Misty’s commitment to church. From Ijebu –Igbo, he would travel to Ita Merin for Sunday service, even when hardly had money for taxi to school the following week. It was therefore no surprise seeing him being a blessing to, not just his local churches both in Abeokuta and Lagos, but the church at the national level, as publicity director.

Upon graduation, I was well on the way to being absorbed as Assistant Lecturer at our alma mater, but Misty had started a career at the flagship of Nigeria’s newspaper, The Guardian. He sought me out and suggested that I give journalism a try. He had already given my name to the appropriate authorities so I could come over as a test candidate.

Shortly after I resumed at The Guardian, I was offered admission at the University of Ibadan (UI), for a Master’s degree in Communication and Language Arts. Off to Ibadan, I moved. Providentially, Prof. Are-Olaitan, who later becam,e Vice Chancellor of our university, and his bosom friend, Mr. Sina Kawonise, who later became Information Commissioner and Governorship candidate in Ogun State, met me at UI and led me by the hand to the Nigerian Tribune newspapers.

After six years at the Tribune, it was Misty – again! – who brought me back to The Guardian, where I rose to be Chief Sub Editor for eight years!

He has always been there for me – a friend, and brother.

As Misty turns 60 and retires at The Guardian, to enjoy the fruits of his labour over the years, I can only thank Dr. Joke Elemide-Fashola, a sociologist and school proprietor in Ibadan, Oyo State, for bringing this gem my way that hazy morning.

Yinka, for Chief Sub Editor of The Guardian and ex-Editor, Weeked Compass wrote this tribute from the United States.