EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
Erudite writer, Ken Tadaferua who held a column in TheNewsGuru [TNG], died yesterday, after a brave battle with cancer.
Tadaferua’s writings touched the lives of thousands: policymakers in the private and public sectors as well as average Nigerians facing the everyday challenges of a developing country.
Aged 62 and from Delta State, Tadaferua a respected communications strategist and former image maker of the defunct Intercontinental Bank, has been writing for the media for decades.
Following his sudden demise, tributes have started to trickle in from his associates.
The publisher of TNG, Mr. Mideno Bayagbon was among those leading tributes to the iconic columnist, describing him as an erudite and prodigious writer.
Bayagbon’s words: “The death of Ken Tadaferua at just 62 years old is a blow many of us, his friends and family are hoping is a dream we will soon wake up out of. An erudite and prodigious writer, Ken was a fighter, who combatted dreaded cancer for more than five years with stoic equanimity.
“In those years he never lost his verve for life or for laughter or for God.
A journalist per excellence who later became Communications strategist and image maker, and brilliant commentator, Ken spent his last years questing and advocating for a better Nigeria. We will sorely miss him at TNG”
“I encountered Ken in many spaces. His exit is a void. We hardly produce such heavyweights who fought doggedly for humanity built on social justice.” TNG columnist, Owei Lakemfa
————————————————————————————————
“The morning after…!
“Fading away like the stars of the morning;
Losing the light in the glorious sun;
Thus we will pass from the earth and its toiling
Only remembered by what we have done!”
ONLY REMEMBERED BY WHAT WE HAVE DONE!!!
Standing right there by your side, looking at the monitor and seeing those vital signs gradually vanish till they went flat and your life ebbed away, Ken, was most humbling and very devastating. Yet it marked, thankfully,I dare say, the end of the terrible pains and anguish you bore stoically for almost 6 years.
How so lucky you are to have had all the time to make peace with God and man! And my brother, you did your best; now you rest.
YOU SURE WILL BE REMEMBERED BY WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!
Rest in peace, Bro! Your 62-year earthly sojourn, though ended, was not in vain!”
– Airtel’s Director of Corporate Communications, Emeka Oparah
“Ken was a dogged fighter. He fought cancer for the last five years, travelling to India and Israel, among others, in search of a cure and relief. In that period, thankfully, he grew his spiritual sinews. His faith was strong. He was determined to survive. We pray that he finds favour on the other side.”
– CEO, Blueflower Communications/former president of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria, Chido Nwakanma.
“A comet is gone! Few journalists alive today come close to Ken in terms of erudition and clinical analysis of issues. While we both served on the editorial board of THISDAY, Ken was known for his eagle-eye approach to issues of the day. He was a good and humorous speaker, always on the side of the poor and the voiceless.
The last time we met, I noticed that his bounce wasn’t quite the same. When I asked, he told me about his fight with cancer. But it was clear to me that he was fighting with courage and the right spirit. His death shocks but the Ken I knew was a man who was at peace with his God in the twilight of his life.
May his soul rest with the Lord, and may his family receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit.” – Okechukwu Ifionu
———————————————————————-
“Death! If only I knew that that visit to my home with Dedem Emeka Oparah would be your last, perhaps I would have prevailed on both of you to stay longer, gist more and even eat a little more. If only…All I have now are memories of that unforgettable visit. The phone call you made days later to profusely thank me. And my wife. And children. I also will never, never forget when we converged on your own abode. The gist. The drink. The ‘omiomio’, like you called it. How also can I ever forget that your bowler hat that was perching permanently on your head? Yes, the Big C had begun ravaging your body then. But definitely not your spirit, which was still very high. You carried your cross with equanimity until the bell tolled. I knew that all couldn’t have been well when Dedem called me on Sunday evening to break the sad news. He was panting as he spoke. And to help him pause the tears, I told him I would call back. The news of your demise pierced and ‘shattered to pieces’ my Sunday. And I guess that of also many others. Adieu, bros!”
– Editor-in-Chief, Yes! Magazine, Azuh Arinze.