President Tinubu joins family, friends, and the Nigerian media community to celebrate a pacesetter, an inimitable man of letters, and a bastion of journalism.
The President salutes Pa Amuka-Pemu for his service to the nation through the artistry of his pen and intellect, and for his contributions to the media and beyond.
President Tinubu also commends the elder statesman for his courage and unbending disposition to the pristine values of truth and justice, acknowledging his role and efforts in the pursuit of a greater Nigeria.
The President prays for many more years in good health for the esteemed journalist and his family.
Prince Sam Amuka Pemu, born 13 June 1935, is a Nigerian journalist, columnist and publisher, who founded the Vanguard, Nigeria’s leading newspaper, and co-founded The Punch, the most widely read newspaper in Nigeria.
He was born in Sapele, a city in Delta State, southern Nigeria, into the family of the late Pa Amuka-Pemu and Madam Teshoma Amuka-Pemu, who died in May 2014.
Starting out as a young reporter pounding the streets of Lagos, Sam Amuka-Pemu worked his way up the ladder writing features and columns (one of which was Sad Sam) before getting involved in media management. He co-founded The Punch before founding the Vanguard , the most consistent newspaper on the street to date.
He was an editor at Daily Times of Nigeria before he established The Punch with his friend, the late Olu Aboderin, in 1977.
He later established Vanguard Newspaper in 1983 with three other Nigerian columnists.
Amuka was described as a “Gentleman of the Press” by President Muhammadu Buhari on his 80th birthday. He was described as an icon and a leading light in Nigerian journalism by Nduka Obaigbena, President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria.
Sam Amuka-Pemu, a thorough-bred pro, has mentored generations of journalists as well as provided job and training opportunities to not a few including some trade unionists who proved their mettle in the trade union movement, especially at the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the global labour federations. Amongst them were Comrade Owei Lakemfa, former Acting General Secretary of NLC and General Secretary, Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU);
Comrade Joe Ajaero, current President, NLC, and Titular/Executive Board member Public Services International (PSI) representing workers in over 150 countries of the world.
Amuka-Pemu is the oldest practising media professional in Nigeria today who had been cited by peers. A book entitled From 1939 to the Vanguard of Modern Journalism written by Kola Muslim Animasaun, who also trained under him, acknowledged his immense contributions to journalism in Nigeria.
Chief Sam Amuka-Pemu also contributed to the growth of the economy as well as stabilised the polity.
It is difficult to find one more faithful or committed to journalism profession or practice than Sam Amuka-Pemu. Today, he is not only a leading player in the industry, the history of journalism in Nigeria cannot be complete without him.
In spite of the Olympian height he has reached, Sam Amuka-Pemu leads a simple life laced with humour and witty stories, easily accessible to both young and old, preferring to be addressed simply as Uncle Sam