Please, find me another
"Bottomline"
By Prince Austin-Chuks Nkwor
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Precisely four years ago, I fell in love with The Sun newspapers.
It all started when once I chanced on the Saturday Sun where
I was sensationally thrilled by Usoro Usoro with his satiric
'Reality', dazzled by Femi Adesina in his thinking conner,
mesmerized by Eric Osagie with his 'Flipside', excited by
Steve Nwosu in his exhilarating column, tantalized by Ijeoma
E. with her salacious 'Kiss & Tell' tales, scandalized
by Emmanuel Maya with his explosive underground series, and
evenly cocooned by the masterpiece of the story master himself,
Mike Awoyinfa – and I literally became faithfully and
piously besotted to this newly found love ever since. Even
Basil Okafor and his 'Legendary' profiles.
By fate as well, as in being out of station and therefore
missing a grab of the Saturday Sun, I alternatively got hold
of the Sunday Sun – and now chanced on Juliana Francis'
'Intimacy' that really took me to another realm, Ose's 'Snapshorts'
with a window into the western world and their whims, Mike
Jimoh's 'Sauce' of bare information, the titillating 'Wives
Live' column, and of course, 'The Bottomline' of it all by
the very pen-master himself, Louis Odion - and I further got
hooked; addicted!
But while I am yet relishing and savouring the weekly overall
effect of these adroit journalists and their etymological
prowess via the Saturday and Sunday Sun publications, they
are now being gradually and systematically withdrawn, thereby
denying me of that which I have come to love so avidly.
I first noticed it with Steve Nwosu intermittently missing
out on some editions of the Saturday Sun and eventually anchoring
with the mid-week Sun. Next was vivacious Usoro! Taken away
from my delight just like that – without as much as
prior information.
Eric and 'Flipside' followed; Ijeoma changed gear; the daring
and courageous Maya got missing – and Jossy Idam too;
I never heard from Basil Okafor again; even the master, Mike,
changed style. Haba!
Then they started same with the Sunday Sun! My earlier stated
favourites became inconsistent, starting with Juliana Francis'
'Intimacy'; the 'Wives Live' column; 'Sauce' became scarce
– in short, all of them became annoyingly irregular,
except just one, 'The Bottomline'.
But what am I hearing now? That this same column, 'The Bottomline',
is about being taken away as well?
That the award winning columnist of 'The Bottomline', Mr.Louis
Odion, is leaving the Sun publication? To where again? For
what? Louis Odion? Oh; my dear effervescent SUN! How hence
am I being encouraged with you? Would you glow even further
by this to fan my love or dwindle my hanging interest?
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