'Celebrating Eleniyan' Maestro, brother, friend at 50

Someone sent me a picture that left me in bouts of laughter a couple of weeks ago. In addition to making me laugh, the photo took me on a reverie of events as old as a quarter of a century back.

After having my fill of laugher, I forwarded the picture to my friend, Steve Ayorinde on WhatsApp. As expected, I got multiple laughter emojis. Neither of us could immediately remember the exact place and time that image was taken but it was certainly from one of the events we covered as reporters, Steve of The Guardian and I of Saturday PUNCH.

That is how far back Steve and I go, at least 25 years of mutually beneficial comradeship that was initially facilitated by our mutual friend, Olayiwola Adeniji.

Lai and I had met at the Independent Communications Network Limited, which we both joined as foundational staff of the defunct AM NEWS. The management of ICNL, until then publishers of The News, Tempo and PM NEWS started AM NEWS in response to the lacuna created by the proscription of The PUNCH, National Concord and The Guardian by the General Sani Abacha regime.

Lai and Steve were on the Arts Desk of The Guardian before the proscription while I started out as a journalist a year prior to getting acquainted with Lai. For some reason, Layiwola became that brother and mentor that I needed at the time.

Lai, of course, returned to The Guardian when its proscription was lifted, but that did not affect our relationship. I visited Lai at the Rutam House office of The Guardian and his residence somewhere off Ladipo Street, not too far from The Guardian and it was from the affinity that I got acquainted with Steve and at the point, I had also left ICNL first for The Post Express and ultimately, The PUNCH.

The relationship with Steve was of immediate benefit to me because my responsibilities on Saturday PUNCH were more of the reportage of music and film, fronts on which he already was respectable and at the competent edge. No one desirable of career development and knowledge in those areas would ignore Steve in those days.

He was a maestro on the beat and had the warm personality that complimented his genius, hence, there was so much to learn from Steve. In addition to his talent, Steve was a very hard worker. These were the days when there were no telephones and we did our job jumping from one mode of public transportation to another. There were hardly any excuses as we went from one end of the City to another.

Steve had an equal capacity for work and play. He could play at work without ever allowing work to suffer. One example is the irritating smoothness with which he related to the opposite sex. In our days as reporters, Steve could be the last to arrive at an assignment but on arrival, he would look around the house and come over to me, exchange pleasantries and then give me a nudge in the side, “tani awon anti yen.”

In those days, there were very few ladies in the room when we had media events, so they were noticeable. Every time he asked me that question, and I assure you there many a lot, I looked at him like: “what is wrong with this one,” we both came for an assignment, how am I supposed to know the stranger.

Rest assured however that before the end of that event, Steve would be giggling away with this same lady that every other person in the room wanted to talk to but did not just have the courage to start a conversation.

That leads me to one of the most admirable endowments that Steve has in abundance; the capacity to confront people and situations undaunted. I have never known him to run away from a fight and in going to work, Mr Ayorinde is a strategist.

Steve always knows when to strike or retreat, but perpetual surrendering is what I have never known him to do. And while at it, he has an almost uncanny ability to be unperturbed. Steve’s capacity for equanimity would unsettle any adversary and ultimately hand over victory to this Ibadan man.

He is visionary and dogged in the pursuit of his vision, which accounts for why he has become one of the most knowledgeable and sought-after music, film and lately culture authorities on the African continent.

And then, what might be Steve greatest blessings is his loyalty. In his loyalty to people and causes, he has found the grace for outstanding compassion, honestly and reasonableness. And when a man is competent, sound in judgement and blessed with the ability to consider others, the world can only ask of little or nothing more.

This is more so when such loyalty is pervasive as in Steve’s case. No matter what he does, or where he goes, family has been a priority to him since we first got acquainted and then to friends and causes.

When we launched my book Ladies Calling the Shots, Steve was at supportive best. I heard whispers about how government officials made promises and failed to deliver but my faith in my friend was unshaken and Steve did deliver on more fronts than one. First, he came last as he was wont to.

Although in this case, he was standing in from the government, hence his lateness could have passed the legitimacy test. Aren’t we ordinary mortals created to wait for governors? But Steve also came to honour a friend and an industry which he helped to build and at that moment, had tutelary charge as a government official. He spoke at the event on behalf of the governor and delivered on that promise.

When it became apparent that the machinery of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State had come at odds with the Ambode administration that Steve served, a frontline practitioner in one of the industries my friend superintended as commissioner called to advise that I speak to Steve about leaving Ambode like a lot of others were doing.

I laughed at the suggestion to the embarrassment of this businessman friend of mine and then went to tell him that knowing Steve as I did, I would be foolish to imagine that he would dump Ambode at that moment. The Steve Ayorinde I know sees things through and no matter what it cost; he would stick with Ambode until the end. And he did!

So, what can I say to my friend and brother, Stephen Oluwaseyi Ayorinde as he attains gold than to pray that God decorates his life with gold henceforth and that he finds the multiple of the joy he has invested in the lives of others in the years ahead. May the years ahead bring bountiful harvests from the toil of the past and may you never sorrow over that which gives you joy.

Welcome to a new day bro!