Alhaji Alade Odunewu, popularly known as Allah Dey during his journalistic career, died on Thursday and was buried according to Islamic rites in Lagos on Friday.
The columnist of repute was born in Lagos State on November 20, 1927 and educated at the Regent Street Polytechnic, London.
He belonged to the ilk of other great compatriots such as Pa Anthony Enahoro, late Chief Bisi Onabanjo, who was known as Ayekoto in his time, Alhaji Babatunde Jose and many others of like minds.
The late Odunewu was a contemporary of other foremost columnists of the 60s and 70s such as Sam Amuka-Pemu (Sad Sam), Peter Enahoro (Peter Pan).
At a time when the fight for independence was carried out mainly by men of the pen, Odunewu was one of the journalists, whose efforts contributed to the emergence of an independent Nigeria.
He published Winner Takes All, a collection of the articles he wrote for his rested column in Daily Times, in 1988.
Odunewu was a role model for the younger generation of journalists and his contemporaries. He rose through the ranks as a cub-reporter to the peak of his profession as an editor, managing editor and editor-in-chief at different times.
He was said to have contributed to the development of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Nigerian Union of Journalism, Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Newspaper Proprietors' Association of Nigeria.
He was Commissioner for Information, Tourism & Culture in Lagos State, from 1973 to1975; Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission, from 1984 to 1990. He was also a member, Federal Electoral Commission, from 1976 to1979 and former Chairman, Nigerian Press Council.
The late Odunewu was the immediate past Chairman of the Nigerian Media Merits Awards Board of Trustees.
He joined the Daily Times in 1950 and rose to the post of Group Publications Controller in 1979.
Alade, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Press Council, died at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, on Thursday.
The alias by which he came to be known, Allah De, was the title of his column during his time at Daily Times.
Punch
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