6 October 2008
column
Lagos — The eulogies and expression of grief that have trailed the demise of broadcast icon, Yinka Craig, clearly signify the life of fulfillment that he lived and the impact he made as a professional. Now, the best tribute to him would be the emulation of his core attributes of humour, creativity, diligence and insight.
Craig's was truly a life well lived. And nothing authenticates that assertion better than the testimonies of his colleagues, associates and subordinates. In the words of Mrs. Augusta Maduegbuna, Manager (News and Current Affairs) of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA): "Yinka Craig was not materialistic. Nigeria has lost a thorough-bred professional, an extraordinary producer and an encyclopedia of sports. He was very knowledgeable, humble, articulate and humourous. He taught us to keep our fingers crossed on new stories and inculcated the spirit of hardwork in us."
Craig who had wanted to study sociology to the Ph.D. level had the course of his life rechanneled when he joined the defunct Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in 1967 as a studio operator. But his rise to prominence occurred in the 1980s as a sports commentator at the NTA. There, his wealth of understanding, not only in sports but also in many other endeavours, marked him out. He brought the knowledge he had acquired on his numerous trips across the globe to bear on his responsibilities at the television house. His pragmatic approach to work produced at least two of NTA's enduring programmes: Newsline and AM Express.
His love for broadcasting was so strong that even after he retired voluntarily from NTA in 1990, he maintained a foothold in the career that gave him satisfaction and whose development he contributed to immensely. For those who were too young to appreciate his proficiency in sports reporting two decades ago, the animation, homeliness and candour Craig later exhibited as AM Express main anchor for so long provided a substitute window into the life of one of the respectable links between old and modern broadcasting in Nigeria.
Through sheer steadfastness, Craig conducted himself ahead of his time. Far before it became fashionable in his industry and indeed country to use computers, Craig was often in the company of his laptop, verbalizing and conceptualising his ideas and also repositioning himself for the 21st Century. He did become the better for those efforts as his style of presentation portrayed uniqueness, confidence and versatility.
Away from the tube, Craig could also not be ignored. With appreciable dexterity at the piano, guitar and saxophone, his promotion of young musicians, sometimes through his television programmes, was noteworthy. His death is, therefore, a minus to the entertainment sector that's in dire need of passionate patrons and promoters.
Craig's battle with lymphoma, a blood cancer type, was instructive in certain respects. The public sympathy that greeted the late diagnosis of the infirmity and also the financial contributions from Lagos and Ogun state governments and other donors, point to the presence of communality in Nigeria. If well nurtured, it could serve as a galvanising factor for national unity and cohesion.
Sadly, however, the fact that he had to be taken to a clinic in far away Minnesota in the United States for medical treatment is a painful reminder of the nation's dilapidated health sector. If the needed facilities exist in the country, diseases could be detected early and this, in turn, will enhance patients' chances of survival. Not long ago, ace musician, Sonny Okosuns, died in the US under similar circumstances. Government should do the right thing now and spare this country further avoidable grief.
For Craig, the 60 years he spent on earth were largely in enriching the dignity and quality of his co-travellers in the journey of life. That is the ultimate requiem. Adieu.
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