Sylvester Hunjo: His Affections & Lessons in a Dialectical Universe -By Reuben Omotayo Hopo

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity ~1 Timothy 4:12.

This Biblical verse speaks to the worthy life lived by Pa Sylvester Hunjo as this piece endeavours to recreate his affection and lessons he left behind in a dialectical universe as little as I knew of him. We met not often. Sometimes, after many years, and later within a few years after, I was employed into the Lagos State Public Service in 2004.

Before that period, I saw his passion for the use of ‘Ogu Gbe’, that is, the Ogu Language contrived as ‘Egun’ ultimately influenced his choice of communication service to his immediate humanity. Thus, he was in the media for a purpose. To serve as a mouthpiece for his society in a world highly dominated by linguistic prestige, was uppermost, an explicit assignment in his specialty as a broadcaster in both the Radio Lagos and Lagos Television. A few revelations in this write-up uphold his values as a humanist – a good man to the core.

Being on a mission to be accomplished dignified his role to his people beyond the remuneration offered him by his former media organisations. He was part of the era often called “The Establishment.” His media experience followed closely the likes of Pa Emmanuel Agosu and Pa Benson Akinsanya (all of blessed memory). One of his programmes by which he sought to beam the voice of his indigenous people to inform and enlighten his race and the younger generation was “Miyonmide” and “Mido Mase”, staples on the LTV8 weekend programme, was a hive to many homes during his service as a journalist. He presented an Ogu musical show, “Midugbe”, on Radio Lagos.

Miyonmide particularly as a programme enlivened my dictions when it comes to representing the phrase, “cast your vote” in the mother tongue using the right usage. On the contrary, many native speakers today assume and unconsciously misrepresent the context with a substituted word from Yoruba in both their translation and conversation, interferes with originality that has existed due to loss or forgotten lexeme in communication, whenever a transition to a new political era nationwide or statewide is announced. Why the subconscious did not alert most language users of their own deficiencies is a language problem itself, once it becomes contagious within its environment.

The reactive course to embrace faulty speeches during official setting and conversation is yet to prick the hearts of so many elite including some linguistic scholars in seeking a pedagogical approach to improve the language standardization and learning, as spoken well within the clime of the Benin Republic. Addressing the barrier is to put a concerted effort in place to gain maximum effect and reach is earnestly inevitable, compared to a single, individual effort of books published in a society so preliterate in the use of its indigenous language. Effective knowledge at a preliterate level should be held in common by shared understanding to succeed in developing the language and give it prestige. Commonness is the foremost strength required ahead of official interventions from governments and international bodies.

It is worthwhile to mention a striking incident that attested to his qualities as a veteran broadcaster. When the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR introduced the GSM (Global System Mobile) telecommunication to Nigeria during his Administration in the early 2000, the translation of the wireless product became an instant issue within his native colleagues due to its novelty, and a meeting was summoned to discuss and resolve the translation difficulty in news broadcast and programmes. To his credit, he became the first broadcaster out of his wide exposure to pronounce “alokan”, affirming the conceptual interpretation of GSM among his peers till today.

Hunjo’s affection spread across his home, language community and piety. Despite his humble beginning and trial marked by the sudden demise of his father when he needed him most, he wethered the storms in that early stage to become someone invaluable and respectful in the family. His impact on the lives of his children had been remarkable, making these to excel in their chosen careers, including devotion to God. Among them is Professor Henry Hunjo, my benefactor and lecturer, He is presently the Head, Department of English in the Faculty of Arts in the Lagos State University, Ojo.

He may be surprised that I knew something about him that he also knew that was never discussed by both of us before now. When I met his father to gain a few knowledge to succeed in my project writing in the university around 2011 or so, he told me of his efforts to send him then for overseas scholarship when both of them were in the Radio Lagos. That great idea was muted to accomplish his vision of propagating the Ogu Gbe development and learning at higher level. Unfortunately, where he had sought for help became abortive owing to an untimely death of a would-be benefactor that wanted to assist his son. That fate prompted him to go for his masters degree, and how he ventured into the academia. With this little tale, a society largely preliterate in its language acquisition is calling for a conscious revival to scale through features of “error analyses” that are treatable in linguistic classes only, was among the values he stood for.

Today, it is not a gainsaying that, journalists from his own background could not retain his staple programme because everyone believes in working for themselves. This is one of the lessons that his demise has left with us all. The psychological attitude does not make a wholesome language community, but a barrier to everyone. The simple test of the acronym of “TEAM -Together Everyone Achieve More”, is a reality. Concerted efforts marked the evolution of the Yoruba Language pedagogy by the once famous “Ẹgbẹ Akomolede Ijinle Yoruba” during the era of the defunct Western Regional Government and after the creation of Lagos State. Without a common front to develop a language to achieve its prestige status, a people’s literature would be difficult to explore in further propagating the language of its culture if the so called native speakers have poor disposition towards it. That is why sometimes, for those who passed through the school of communication studies, reporting culture from this vicinity occasionally reeks violation of customary norms out of insensitivity.

When Sylvester Hunjo passed away on the 1st of August 2026, his burial service took place at the Jehovah Witness Hall in Agonkanme, Badagry on Saturday, August 15, 2026 and was taken to his final resting place, the tomb. After that, came the warm reception of various guests by his children at the remodelled Badagry City Hall. There, I met with some other former Lecturers, Professor Adebukola Atolagbe and Dr. Crownteny (as we used to call him). Both of them were able to recognize me. The media across different chapels in Lagos were also there. I recognized the likes of Comrade Gbenga Salawu of the Guardian Newspaper reporting from the Baguada Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa. The crême-de-la crême of our society were entertained in the artistic melodies of the Ogu culture. What a unique way to reflect and celebrate a media icon who stood his life to embrace the voice of his society. That was a good remembrance outing, befitting his departure on earth.

While the artistic entertainers led by Comrade Sunday Hunpe whose musical band known as “Gigoyọ́yọ́” performed his pattern of beats called “Zenlinhun”, two celebrated dancers on the stage moved their steps on the dancing streaks. Many gaze were seen, followed by ovations and serial filming brought ecstasy to the visitors as they witnessed a true slice of life from Badagry live, gave a taste of something nostalgic that largely differs from the usual Yoruba musical stuffs, turned-out as the best remedy for their trips to Badagry, beyond solidarizing with their friends and professional colleagues whom they had joined inclusively to pay the last respect, deserved by Pa Sylvester Hunjo. That cultural performance served a record purpose to the indigenous Ogu people of Badagry – to come to reality of rejigging and standing for their unique culture, would be the best way to pair with the Lagos State Government in its irredentist effort to make Lagos, “A global destination of first choice in Africa.” It means, the Ogu people of Badagry are the flavour of tourism in their area. A taste of something different, refreshing that visitors can see and sensationalize implies, moving away from the acclaimed potential position to execution.

This brings to mind and very sensible, too, the multiplicity of culture with different languages purveying the beauty of the world, hence, dialectical frictions would always be a constant trajectory when languages with their identifiable markers are in contact with one another. This natural frictions which exist surreptitiously challenge all speakers of particular languages to rise up, also brought to the fore, another lesson to chart a common rhetoric to launch an absolute renaissance of this indigenous language in question, would sustain its vitality against the threat of erosion to proximity of another language, including globalization. His path in Journalism was a clear revelation of linguistic understanding, affirming that when a language is largely informal, linguistic proficiency becomes a necessity to effectively translate what is said in one language to another, includes the news and programmes on media to the target audience.

Why this article? Before my foray into linguistics in my first degree, Pa. Hunjo opened my eyes beyond the veil of ignorance, and that little push made him the first literate person from whom I learned a few dialects of this indigenous language that eventually marked the foundation of my thesis in the university, ahead of my final examinations. His motivation sustained my interest to improve on the language. Therefore, having gone through his biography and tributes in his burial service and outing pamphlet, I attest to everything said about him as a true resemblance of the personality character that he was.

Adieu, Pa Sylvester Hunjo (of blessed memory). You paid your dues before leaving the world at eighty-six. You deserve this immortalization to the greatness of ‘Ogu Gbe’ someday, to preserving the mother tongue for present and future generations.

Reuben Omotayo Hopo is Public Affairs Commentator & Brand Strategist