Farewell to a Fearless Pen: Remembering Chief Ben Adaji (1959–2026)

By Victor Gai

Today, June 25, 2026, Chief Ben Adaji, veteran journalist cum politician would be laid to rest in his hometown Abo Ojikpada Imane, Kogi State, north central Nigeria.

Adaji was the Taraba State Correspondent of Aljazeerah newspaper. He garnered experience in the pen profession spanning over 30 years.

I first met Adaji in 2011 on my return to Taraba from Borno where I served as the State Correspondent of the now rested Nigeria Sunrise newspaper. I was then new to the profession and having to serve in conflict-prone Borno was too much of a risk to take and even the management understood that.

Therefore on my arrival in Jalingo -the Taraba State capital and having settled to my duties, I came across a name that rang a bell. That name was Ben Adaji. It rang a bell because of the incisive stories behind it in The News magazine. But above all, it rang a bell because the personality carried material success. 

As a matter of fact, it was touted at the time that Adaji was the first journalist in Taraba to own a Jeep. A Jeep at that time was the exclusive preserve of politicians or some successful businessmen. A car then, to a journalist was a luxury and this was due to the harsh working conditions in the media industry.

I now found time and visited Adaji in his office along Barde Way, close to Government House Jalingo. I visited as an upcoming journalist looking for a way in the profession and also to tap from his vast experience in the profession. I also wanted to know the secret to his fame.

I entered his office and met him working on a script (at the time, digital journalism had not taken root). So I introduced myself and was warmly welcomed by him.  He gave me some valuable advice on how to be a good writer. According to him, you could only be a good writer by consistently reading articles. 

Unfortunately, most  journalists nowadays are not good readers. We hardly read our published work or that of others and by doing so we miss the opportunity of learning from our mistakes and becoming polished and refined writers.

In fact, from my little experience, I understand this to be true. You become a better journalist/writer by what you read and not what you write. Added to that, one ought to be a better listener than a speaker.

Adaji, I learnt started from a modest beginning from related fields before venturing into journalism. He became popular and often ran into trouble during the military era due to his articles. At that time Taraba state was newly created from the old Gongola state in 1991 and was governed by a military administrator.

He suffered threats, molestations and even incarcerations due to his articles which were crafted in a way that held the government accountable. If indeed being a good journalist entails holding power to account and being a watch dog to the society, Adaji has accomplished the task of a good journalist. He has paid his dues long ago.

The ‘Lord Bishop’ as we fondly call him, maintained a hard stance on bad governance even to his death. During a parley with the current Taraba state governor in 2025, Adaji, while appraising Governor Agbu Kefas’ administration, slammed him for his soft approach to governance despite his military background. 

Speaking during the meeting in the midst of the governor and his exco members, Adaji told the governor to his face: “you are too soft to be a governor". Adaji was alluding to Kefas’ Inability to effect a cabinet change despite the apparent weakness of some of his appointees.

His colleagues were awe struck by his courage; more so the Commissioners, who after the meeting pleaded with him to save their jobs. All parties laughed over it and it ended there.

However, Governor Agbu Kefas' must be commended for establishing a good rapport with the media and for enabling an open door policy for criticism and suggestions on how to best govern the State.

Perhaps, were it in other climes, Adaji would have been blacklisted or even  denied the platform to speak this way to the governor. Consequently, because of Governor Kefas’ disposition, no journalist in attendance at that parley included the scenario in his story.

As much as Adaji held his profession dear to his heart, he was also a unionist- a controversial one for that. Being a one time Chairman, Correspondents chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Taraba state council, Adaji was often described as being too high handed while dealing with his colleagues. As a result, he had altercations with many of them. While such is normal in unionism, it really helped in  shaping his relationship with members generally and the union in particular.

In fact, a colleague who knew Adaji very well, confided in me that the Late Adaji had resolved his differences with his foes. And one can believe this and members can attest to the fact that he had become more of a stabilizer to the chapel, who members often go to when in trouble and officials seek advice when about to take decisions.

In fact, he was a long time member of the NUJ ethics and disciplinary committee. Such a committee is usually run by experienced hands in the profession.

Adaji once lamented on how “petty"  some of our colleagues can be over issues of money while there are opportunities one can take advantage of to be successful in the profession.

Perhaps, such was why he made several attempts at politics. He twice contested for the House of Representatives seat in Kogi State but was not successful. It is not however clear why he failed to make another attempt this time around. 

But apart from his journalistic work, he was a media consultant to many including his bosom friend, the politician and business mogul, Chief David Sabo Kente.

My prayers is that media practitioners, especially in Taraba state would emulate his qualities which include hardwork, courage and focus. Rest in peace ‘ the Lord Bishop’.