I join the numerous friends and admirers of Mr Sam Amuka (Uncle Sam) to congratulate him on his 80th birthday and to wish him many happy returns in good health and contentment. My admiration for Uncle Sam dates back to his “Sad Sam” column in the Sunday Times that he edited between 1967 and 1971. His witty, humorous, well-crafted and entertaining column was one of my favourites in the country’s undisputable leading Sunday newspaper in the 1960s and 1970s.
By the time I finally met him in the early 1990s in the USA, Vanguard newspapers that he founded in 1984 had become firmly established as one of the leading newspapers in the country. Over a week or so I interacted with him in the company of his host, late Akin Fatoyinbo (Uncle Sam’s long-time younger friend and admirer), who was my colleague in the World Bank. We had wide-ranging conversations throughout his stay. My takeaways from the memorable interactions with him were his infectious humour, his modesty, his light-touch but effective managerial style, and his passion for Nigeria
Almost everyone who has spent time in the company of Uncle Sam is certain to experience a little bit of his modesty and sense of humour. The former is natural while he exudes the latter with effortless ease. It was when conversations drifted to his work as the proprietor and chief executive of Vanguard that I teased out his managerial style and found that it was at the same time light-touch (an unusual combination of hands-on and laid-back) and effective. My probing revealed his relaxed attitude to delegation to senior management staff who are held accountable with predictable sanctions and rewards as appropriate. I would later find during periodic visits to Vanguard since the mid-2000s that he is the head of a happy family where the proprietor, senior managers, middle-level managers, intermediate-level staff and junior staff mingle cheerfully, especially at lunch break.
Although there were hints of Uncle Sam’s passion for Nigeria in many of his columns that I had read in the 1960s and 1970s, I found out quickly during our conversations that his attachment to Nigeria was very strong. His obvious love of travel did not prevent him from moaning that he missed Nigeria. For him, Nigeria was the equivalent of home in the Yoruba saying: ajo ko le dun ki o dabi ile (whatever the pleasure of travel, home is best).
He teased Akin and me about our long stay abroad but he always put it humorously during that visit. However, with the return to civilian rule in 1999, he would gently suggest that we consider returning home to contribute to national development whenever either of us was in contact with him.
Taking together his immense contributions to journalism over several decades (as a columnist, editor and co-founder of Punch in 1973 before he became founder of Vanguard in 1984) including active membership of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), his elder statesman role in the South-South geo-political zone, and his recent high profile role as a member of the National Peace Committee on 2015 Elections, he is, without question, one of Nigeria’s outstanding and genuine patriots.
Today, a little over two decades since I first met Uncle Sam, I count him among my egbons (affectionate Yoruba word for an older friend) and I know he counts me among his aburos (affectionate Yoruba word for a younger friend). Uncle Sam is a kind, caring, trustworthy and dependable friend. In bad times as well as in good times, you can count on his unconditional support. I know this first-hand and I am sure that others in his extensive social network would concur.
Uncle Sam: This appreciation is for your reading pleasure in the distant land where you are marking your special day in your inimitable way, far from the maddening crowd at home. But all of us, friends and admirers, know that you are already missing Nigeria. We all look forward to welcoming you back to sweet home, sweet Nigeria before the end of June. Enjoy your special day.
Professor Adamolekun lives in Iju, Akure North, Ondo State. He contributed a weekly column, “Nigeria Notes”, to Vanguard between 2007 and 2009.
