Why does sudden death sometimes appear to pick the good ones — even those, like Dotun, who had just observed the physical exercise recommended for medical fitness? Why would it take a patriotic journalist, a gentleman, and a friend, while bandit kingpins, terrorist commanders, and others who inflict misery on innocent citizens continue to roam?
On the afternoon of Tuesday, 25 August, I exchanged messages with Dotun Oladipo — respected journalist, former president of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), and publisher of The Eagle Online. I sent him a report on the unfolding political rivalry in Katsina State — between the camps of Governor Dikko Radda and Tinubu’s adviser, Ibrahim Masari — which allegedly led to the arrest of security aides attached to the governor — for publication on his platform.
In his characteristically simple and professional manner, Dotun asked me to forward it to his Gmail address, instead of the Yahoo account I had previously used. I obliged. Within minutes, the article was published, and a few hours later, he promoted it as the lead story in his WhatsApp news broadcast.
That was Dotun: no bureaucracy, no excuses, no endless promises. If a material was newsworthy and suitable for his platform, he acted promptly.
