By Yahaya E. Jalingo
When I rattled President Shehu Shagari, I saw the fire in his eyes as the cigarette he was holding and smoking nearly burned his fingers.
It was December 1979. President Shehu Shagari was addressing a World Press Conference in a local hotel as a lead member of the OAU Wise Men Committee on Western Sahara, meeting in Monrovia.
Everything was smooth sailing until I raised my hand to ask a question, like everyone else assembled. Suddenly, members of the presidential entourage and handlers objected to further questioning from the press. I was about to be silenced when an NTA cameraman standing next to me nudged me to go ahead and ask my question.
Boom—without hesitation, I fired it off, and it turned out to be the scoop of the day across the world. The question was about how President Shagari planned to handle the Gowon/Ojukwu issues that had been left unresolved by his predecessors.
President Shagari was clearly rattled by the question, and it took him quite some time to attempt a response. What he eventually said about being conversant with the matter was, to say the least, hollow and inexplicable.
That I scooped the day with that single question—though I did not get the customary byline—remains one of the high points of my journalistic career and sojourn.
The Man: Yahaya E. Jalingo
Yahaya E. Jalingo, Founder and Publisher of The ECOWAS Citizen Newspaper, is a retired journalist, social activist, farmer, realtor, philanthropist, and educator. He is presently the Board President of the ECOWAS Citizens Union, the umbrella organization of West African national community groupings in the Republic of Liberia.
In his public life thus far, he has distinguished himself as a prominent figure in Liberia’s social landscape through the following roles:
- Former Reporter, Desk Editor, and Managing Editor, defunct Express/Bentol Times Newspapers (1978–1980)
- Former Publisher, defunct Ultimate Choice Magazine
- Former Treasurer, Nigerian Community and Descendants Union of Liberia
- Former Vice President, Nigerian Community and Descendants Union of Liberia
- Founder Member and Organizing Secretary, ECOWAS Citizens Union of Liberia
- First elected Secretary General, ECOWAS Citizens Union of Liberia
- Chairman, Friends of Archbishop Michael K. Francis Association of Liberia
- Founder and Sole Proprietor, Yahaya E. Jalingo Academy, Upper Caldwell
- Founder and Proprietor, ECOWAS Solidarity School System
- Chief Executive Officer, Elcorp Liberia Inc.
One of the most notable contributions of Yahaya E. Jalingo to Liberia was the commendable role he played in the search for peace during the Liberian civil crisis, in his capacity as a founding member and first Secretary General of the ECOWAS Citizens Union of Liberia.
In that role, he was recognized by the ECOWAS Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, and by various ECOWAS Executive Secretaries. During this marathon pursuit of peace, Mr. Jalingo interacted with prominent regional leaders, including Dr. Edward Benjamin of Guinea, Abbas Bundu of Sierra Leone, Mohammad Ibn Chambas of Ghana—all former ECOWAS Executive Secretaries—and Professor Allie Nouhum Diallo of Mali, the first President of the ECOWAS Parliament.
He also placed himself at the service of ECOWAS peacekeeping commanders such as General Bakut, General Magashi, General Maxwell Kobe, and many others in the collective quest for peace in Liberia and West Africa at large.
Yahaya E. Jalingo, a Liberian-Nigerian, has lived a life of service and impact. As a retired journalist, social activist, and philanthropist, he has made lasting contributions to Liberia’s Nigerian community and beyond.
Key Highlights
- Donated land for the Igbo Multipurpose Hall in Liberia
- A respected father figure to Nigerians and ECOWAS citizens in Liberia
- Successful real estate practitioner and farmer
- Advocate for Liberia as a leading West African investment hub, citing its dual-currency economy and improved governance under President Joseph Nyumah Boakai
- Envisions Liberia becoming the “Dubai of West Africa”
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