Tolofari: Loss Of An Uncommon Boss

It was difficult to come to terms with the reality of Mr. Mann Tolofari’s death. Mann was truly a good man, one with a peculiar personality. He was an inspiration to some of us; especially when he held sway as Director of the Publications Department in now Ministry of Information and Communications.
About a quarter or more of my formative years as Information Officer were spent under his tutelage. His passion for journalism is rare. To Mann, effective communication is more about lucidity. In a way, he abhorred excessive use of words in Mass Communication.
This old and revered rule of practice reflected in his insightful, detailed and ever easy-to-read articles and radio commentaries. He was, indeed, an inspiration to that tribe of focused and committed information officers during a period some preferred to club; the glorious era in the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Mann, to me, had a different view of the world and lived a life befitting of his beliefs. He was modesty personified and spartan in several ways. Material things did not mean much to him. That includes unhidden disdain for the pervasive corrupt acquisition of wealth and its attendant pomp and glamour. My brief but rewarding closeness to him, while he was in service, was a study in contentment.
Once, he said to me, “Tonye, journalism will not make you rich”. Then, I was far his junior and younger in age. In truth, I was troubled by that statement. Here was a young man looking forward to the good things of life after half a decade of gruelling post secondary education and service to nation. But that was the first impression I got about his personality and perception of the profession.
Yes, the journalism profession can hardly make one rich and live ostentatiously. But it has, in some good measure, what it takes for one to have a lift in social status, and that also is for the privileged few. Mann, however, was entitled to his views. I believe he had in mind a society that hardly has respect for honest men.
Mann retired from service in 2010 without wealth; but as a contented man, he moved into an apartment in a housing estate located in the outskirts of the city. It was a property he acquired through the mercy and grace of God. He made it a home and from there continued his forays into matters of general public interest until he became incapacitated with ill health.
As a retiree, Mann, unlike his counterparts in other climes, got far less than he deserved. In those places, issues of welfare and social security for serving and retired public servants are a matter of serious priority of the government. The government ensures that such categories of citizens are not vulnerable to the vagaries of life after retirement. They are protected from destitution and poverty, irrespective of class, in consideration for their enormous contributions to the growth and development of the State.
In our c1ime here, the reverse is sadly the case. Mann was another victim of a rapacious and treacherous system. He could have been one of the lucky few who lived and got their entitlements, but Mann was vulnerable. He was at the bar of sixty or more when he passed on. At that age, he deserved better and unhindered access to good medication and facilities. For three successive months, Mann was on the sick bed and died three days after surgery. There are many Mann Tolofari’s out there, with a slim hope for the future.
Mann appropriately deserves to be called an icon. He left behind a life style and professionalism that will remain immortal in the hearts of those who were close to him. The traditional media platforms through which we heard and read his interventions, will miss him. His friends or acquaintances and professional colleagues will miss him too.
To his far younger colleagues, who knew a bit of him, it is the loss of a great mind whose exemplary life style and honest ways helped to make some of us what we are today.
Koronibo Burusu Alabo, Head of Prince Oru-asawo Tolofari Royal House, Kalaibiama, Bonny, Warisenibo (Dr.) Mann Tolofari, dei na mu.
Jenewari is a retired director, Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications.

Tonye Jenewari