Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim:
My Testimony by Oluwasegun Abifarin
Dr. Hashim is one of the patriotic students that will be easily called of my mentors in University of Lagos back in those days.
Though I was a year behind him, our path crossed through the Late Olaitan Oyerinde, when I was contesting for the post of the PRO on the platform of the Departmental Association, (Mass Communication Students Association, MCSA) in 1988/89 session.
I won the election and moved closer to his group: The Thomas Sankara Movement and the Youth Solidarity on South Africa, a Pan-Africanist and Anti-Apartheid group respectively.
By 1990/91 session, I, through his group’s support, contested and became the President of the MCSA and also representing the Faculty of Social Science in the University of Lagos Students Union (ULSU) Parliament.
I continued in their tradition even when he ( Dr. Hashim) graduated from the school and I was part of the student leaders detained (close to my final year exams) for participating in the 1991 Academic reforms demonstrations.
After my service year in 1992, I was part of his pioneer staff at Promptlink Limited, that published Labour Mirror for the Nigerian Labour Congress.
After a while, I desired to be part of the pioneer team at the TheNews magazine, and he linked me up with Dapo Olorunyomi, who promptly employed me and my colleague, Ademola Olajire, who also worked with him.
After about two years and when the Abacha jackboot was becoming too heavy, I stepped aside from journalism and got a job with the Danish-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce as the Executive Secretary.
But the Journalism in me will not allow me as I left for Financial Standard Newspaper, from where I later joined the Week Magazine with Simon Kolawole.
Though Simon later left to go back to Thisday, I stayed back and rose to become the Editor of the magazine.
From The Week, I moved to The Source magazine, from where I also left for a stint in a PR firm as Head of Media and Strategy.
It was after this that I decided to start my own online newsmagazine: Newsroom Nigeria, before joining the Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim Media office
This is wishing you a memorable and great birthday. Many happy returns!!!
