Olaoluwa Olaoye
The Federal Government has described Chief Sam Amuka-Pemu, the publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, as “a living monument to truth, justice, and the undying spirit of patriotism.”
Speaking at the 90th birthday celebration of Chief Amuka-Pemu held Friday night, at the Eko Hotel in Lagos, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, praised the media icon for his steadfast commitment to journalism, democracy, and nation-building over several decades.
“In Chief Sam Amuka-Pemu, we do not just honour a man. We honour an era and a movement,” the minister declared.
“At 90, Chief Sam Amuka-Pemu is not just a nonagenarian; he is a living monument to truth, justice, and the undying spirit of patriotism,” he added.
The minister described the Vanguard publisher as “the quill through which Nigeria wrote its democratic rebirth, the watchful eye that never blinked through decades of darkness, and the gentle yet unyielding force that nurtured journalism into our collective noble institution.”
Tracing Chief Amuka-Pemu’s contributions to Nigerian journalism, the minister noted that “his fingerprints are imprinted on some of the most iconic mastheads in our media history: The Daily Times, Sunday Punch, The Punch, and Vanguard. These are not just newspapers. They are chronicles of our national life, mirrors that have reflected our hopes, struggles, and triumphs.”
He highlighted the publisher’s pioneering role in co-founding The Punch in 1971 and establishing Vanguard in 1983 during a period of political turbulence, emphasizing that these ventures were borne “not in pursuit of power or glory, but out of duty to country, to truth, and the voiceless.”
“Yet, to describe Chief Sam Amuka-Pemu as a journalist is to say too little,” the minister said.
“He is a guardian of the national conscience, a sentinel of our democracy, and one of the last standing titans of press freedom in Africa,” he added.
Idris commended Amuka-Pemu’s unwavering courage during Nigeria’s difficult journey from military dictatorship to democracy.
“It is no exaggeration to say that without voices like his, raised firmly and fearlessly against military rule, our journey to democratic governance might have taken an even darker path,” he said.
The minister further remarked that Amuka-Pemu “remains arguably the oldest practicing journalist in Nigeria. Still curious. Still committed. Still standing.”
He used the occasion to call on all media professionals and institutions to honour Chief Amuka-Pemu’s legacy “not merely with our words, but with our recommitment to a media that is truly free, fearless, fair, and responsible.
“To a Nigeria where truth still matters. To a democracy whose lifeblood remains the integrity of those who tell its story.”
The minister also thanked President Bola Tinubu for recognising Chief Amuka-Pemu’s lifetime contributions with a National Honours Award.
He said, “It is only gratifying that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has led this historic charge yesterday by recognising your service to Nigeria with a National Honours Award.
“May we, the inheritors of his vision, carry forward the torch of truth with the same grace, courage, and integrity that have defined these 90 remarkable years.
“And may the generations to come know that in our time, there lived a man named Uncle Sam, who walked in humility, stood for justice, wrote with purpose, and lived for a truly democratic Nigeria.”
The event was heralded by the crème of the Nigerian media, government officials, and the business community, such as the Chairman of Thisday and Arise Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena; the Chairman of Media Trust and President of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Malam Kabiru A. Yusuf; the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwase 111; the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Monday Onyeme; former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori; Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke; Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi.
Other dignitaries were the former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba; Afenifere Leader, Chief Bode George; Former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Dr. Donald Duke; former Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola; founder, of Business Daya Newspaper, Frank Aigbogun; Founder, Ovation Magazine, Chief Dele Momodu; Former INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Kudu Haruna; Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, and the Publisher, Guardian Newspaper, Maiden Alex Ibru, amongst others.
