Remembering Yinka Craig (Son Speaks On Father)

In this interview, Olamide, one of the sons of late broadcaster, Yinka Craig, speaks about his father’s passions outside of broadcasting

Tell us about yourself

My name is Olamide Craig. I’m a doctor. I studied Medicine at the University of Ibadan. I have a Masters in Occupational Health from the University of Birmingham, UK. I have an elder brother, Olayinka, who’s my father’s namesake; and a younger sister, Temilola, who’s my mother’s namesake.

How was it like growing up with such a famous broadcaster like your father?

I was born with him already famous. His career grew with time also. So I grew up into it and got used to it. He was a humble person too. It was a great experience, especially being a kid and seeing your father on television in those days, with the likes of Cyril Stober, Sienne Razaq-Lawal and the rest. At that time, as kids, we didn’t understand the concept of recorded or live television. So sometimes when he was on air, we would say, ‘Dad, when you’re coming home, please bring this or that.’ It was fun and quite exciting.

How old were you when you started watching him on television?

I started watching him on television perhaps when I was much older. But I remember hearing his voice on radio when I was about two or three years old, he ran commentaries for the FIFA World Cup and so on. He was also on Midweek Sports with Akinloye Oyebanji. He cut across radio and television broadcasting.

Which of his television programmes was your favourite?

The best of the lot was Newsline. At the time my dad was anchoring the programme with Patrick Oke; they travelled around Nigeria and brought diverse stories from different ethnic groups. I learnt a lot about Nigeria from watching Newsline as a child, such as the Durbar in Katsina, Argungu festival, there were lots of other things we learnt then. They paid so much attention to details. He also did Morning Ride, AM Express and Daybreak.

What kind of father was he?

He was strict. My grandfather was strict. I guess that passed on to him as well. I went to two military schools, Nigeria Navy School and Air Force Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos. My mother wanted me to go to Kings’ College, but I am glad for my father’s insistence that I went to Air Force Secondary School. Perhaps, he saw something in me that made him think I needed a bit of a tough hand. I can say categorically that the paramilitary experience I had in secondary school, because of my father’s insistence, is one of the key reasons why I have turned out to be the kind of man that I am today. He was a disciplinarian and didn’t take nonsense. But he was also a very loving and kind person. Our time with him was always fun-filled. He was fun loving, he cracked jokes, but he didn’t take nonsense.

How did he discipline his children when they went wrong? Did he ever punish you?

Yes. I was quite naughty growing up. I don’t remember really getting spanked by my dad. He was a talker and would talk to you. For him, discipline was not just to inflict pain or produce shame, but to affect a change. So, he would sit you down, talk to you and advise you. His words were more often the tool of discipline to help you change your ways. Sometimes, it was withholding things from you. If you were naughty, you wouldn’t get your due. At the end of the day, that will help you see there was a cause and effect of doing something. That helped shape my understanding of life, that there were consequences for one’s actions. My mum did the spanking and I did get quite a bit of that. However, most of the time, my dad, as well as my mum, used words.

How did he react when he got angry?

My dad was able to control his temper. He wasn’t petty so he wouldn’t just have an outburst of anger. If you did something incredibly stupid, he would let you know his displeasure, but just as quickly, the anger would dissipate once you said you were sorry and made amends.

How was his relationship with your mum?

Oh, two of them were hopeless romantics (laughs). Their relationship was like every other couple, but they loved each other deeply. I remember one of my sister’s friends, someone who I incidentally met after my father’s death. She said she remembered how my dad and mum used to come to Queen’s College in those days. She said, “Your mum would run out of the car park, hug your father and give him a kiss on the lips, in front of all of us!” Then, this was something that many Nigerians were not really used to. So, the girls would gather around and say, ‘Temilola’s dad is coming!” And they would wait for him. Just like clockwork, every visiting day when they show up, they would hug and kiss passionately. You know, it fuelled questions like, ‘Didn’t these people see each other in the morning?’ Yes they did, but they were seeing each other again. We grew up in an atmosphere of love. Our parents didn’t hide their love from us, which is one of the things I appreciate. They didn’t hide their struggles either. So we got a balanced view of what marriage was; two people in love who have committed to spend the rest of their lives together and walk together through whatever difficulties they faced.

Despite his busy schedules how did he create time for his family?

He did the best he could. His primary work was with the Nigerian Television Authority in Victoria Island, Lagos, so he had a place nearby where he could stay and then go to the office. Sometimes, he had to be in the studio as early as 5.30am. Coming from FESTAC town, where we lived was quite hectic. He went from the Island and then he would come home later in the day or sometimes during the week. We didn’t see him as often as we would have loved, but when we did see him, he did make quality time for us.

What were some of the values he taught you?

He taught me that you can do or achieve anything. He was multi-talented and multi-faceted. There was nothing that Yinka Craig wanted to learn that he wouldn’t learn. Before the days of the Internet and Google, he was a walking encyclopaedia. He was versed in a lot of things. His primary discipline was broadcasting, but he was an aviator, musician and artist. He was also into computers. I also learnt from him that if you are concerted in your efforts and focused on what you want to do, there is no excuse; you can be good at anything you lay your hands on. Another thing he taught me was that if you are going to do something, do it well or don’t do it at all. There was nothing that he didn’t excel at or touched that didn’t turn to gold. Those excellent values have passed on to me and my siblings.

What were his other interests?

He had his own personal flight stimulator, but never flew a plane. He played six musical instruments; the violin, flute, piano, guitar, saxophone and clarinet. He painted with acrylic and was good at drawing pencil sketches. He was a good photographer. That was where I picked up photography from. He was a computer geek. He could fix computers and write codes. He loved to go boating at Tarzan jetty. He loved to swim. He loved to relax and travel. He was also a graphics designer and designed some of the first video sleeves for his friend, Tunde Kelani’s Mainframe, like Saworoide. He did a lot of things.

What didn’t he do?

He was very averse to corruption. He had the contacts of some of the most influential politicians and biggest generals on his phone and was a dial away. I particularly know of a few occasions when people approached him to do something for the government and he always declined. When I asked him one day why, he said, “You won’t understand. When you get into certain levels in politics and government at this stage Nigeria is now, there is no way you will not be compromised. And I want to live you more than riches. I want to leave you a good name.” I didn’t understand it then. Now that he’s gone, I know the doors that have opened simply by calling his name. Everywhere I went to and mentioned his name they knew that he had integrity. He realised that a good name is better than riches.

What were his likes and dislikes?

He didn’t like laziness or slothfulness. He liked to get things done on time. I remember he would say to us when we were growing up that, it’s not just that you did it, it’s that you did it quickly and on time. He disliked lies and hypocrisy. My father was a very genuine person. If he said something, he meant it. That has rolled down to us his children. He was also very punctual.

How was Yinka Craig, the consummate broadcaster, different from Yinka Craig, the father?

There was a subtle difference. On the outside, he seemed very gregarious, very full of life person; he was the life of the party. But when he was home, he liked his own company. When he was home, he was home. He didn’t really like having visitors or going out. He liked to be on his own, read books, play musical instruments, watch television and spend time with his family. He was able to balance the two parts as a broadcaster and father.

Did he influence your career paths in any way?

No, but he didn’t understand why I chose medicine. As far as he was concerned, I could have done anything else. My mum is a doctor but she didn’t influence my decision to study medicine. I would have studied Architecture in the University of Lagos. I gained admission to study the course, but a few weeks before resumption, I fell ill. My mum took me to the hospital until I recovered. It was during those weeks I was ill that I fell in love with medicine. That was how I changed my course of study. My brother is into Information Technology System Management. My sister studied sociology and she is into public relations as well. None of us actually took after him in broadcasting as such; maybe because he was not just one thing, there are other bits of him that we picked.

How was his social life like?

He had a few friends, but a very close circle of friends. He didn’t really attend events much and wasn’t much of a party goer, although he got many invitations, he didn’t attend many of them. He was a fan of Shooting Stars.

What are some of the fondest memories you have of your father?

It would be the last two years before he passed on. I got to know he was ill when I just graduated from medical school. I came to Lagos and we spent a lot of time together. We talked a lot and shared a lot of things in those two years, while looking for the best medical care that we could give to him. Those times were some of my fondest. It may not be some of the happiest because he was ill, but we spent a lot of time together. In those two years, I was able to understand my father more than anything. There was also the beauty of drawing from his wisdom before he departed.

What was his favourite food?

Yam and eggs were his favourites, especially on a Sunday morning. Sometimes, he fried the eggs by himself. He also liked efo and okro soup.

How did you and your family feel when he passed on?

I was in the theatre assisting the caesarean section delivery of a patient at the National Hospital in Abuja when I heard the news. It was during my internship. We were in theatre delivering a baby and I was with this very strict consultant. All of a sudden he said, “Dr. Craig, you have a visitor.” That was strange. So I rushed out and saw my aunt. I just knew then my dad had passed on. It was difficult because I had to cut my one-year internship programme short. I had only done half the year. I had to travel. I received the corpse from the morgue and then took a three-month hiatus before I could go back to complete the programme. But I’m glad that we had the time to spend with him during that period and the time to adjust to his passing. His death wasn’t an incident that took us by surprise. We had enough time to get used to the fact that he may pass soon. He passed on in the US. My mum and her twin sister were with him then.

In your tribute to your father, you described it thus: ‘That I was helping to bring forth a life just at about the same time the life of the one who brought me forth was slipping away.’ How would you encapsulate that feeling?

It’s just the cycle of life. It reminds me that we’re here for a period. We celebrate his birthday on July 8, and the day he died, September 23. Everyone will have a day their life starts and ends. It’s consistently on my mind that I am not here forever, that my time here is finite. You could live up to 120 years, but it’s still finite. You need to make the best of what you have, because the same day that somebody is being born is the same day that someone is dying. And I felt that so personified in my own life that on the day I was assisting in the birth of someone, my father was dying. So, it’s ingrained in my head that, look, you’re here for a season, so do the best you can with the time that you have.

Did your dad know he was going to die soon?

I’m not sure he knew. But I can’t say for certain. He was a fighter and he gave it all he had. He defied the doctor’s prognoses and was still alive two years after specialists at the Royal Marsden said they had done all they could for him.

How did he prepare for his death?

I’m not sure he prepared as such. He wanted to get well. He didn’t plan for death as such, he planned for life. He already had plans for new television programmes, he had drawn up a blueprint for Nigeria’s centenary, and for a new pan African news network. He fought for life.

How has your family coped since his death?

There is this scripture that talks about God being the father of the fatherless and the husband to the widow, and God has indeed been faithful. Also, my mother has been a rock. She’s such an amazing woman. She has held the forte and has been fantastic. We’ve recorded a lot of progress in our family. God has been faithful and continues to provide for us.

Your mum must have been devastated during those early days after his death?

Yes, she was. But she is a Christian. You know we do not mourn like them that do not have hope. My father gave his life (to Christ) before he passed. So, we had that confidence that although he may have passed on and we will miss him, but he has gone to be with the Lord. It was difficult though, but she was strong for us and other people who were going through the same thing. Then, my mum’s twin sister also passed on almost a year or two after. That was a lot to handle. But she was strong. The joy of the Lord is really her strength. She’s a beautiful person and someone that I look up to in the faith and in life generally. She’s weathered the storm. She’s been through a lot but has come out as gold.

Your dad must have been a very rich man?

(Laughs) No, he was not. My father was a very famous man, but he wasn’t rich. I’ve also met some of his friends who were very rich but not famous at all, they were quite billionaires. He was not a very rich man, but he was comfortable. God provided our needs, we never lacked anything.

What was his reading habit like?

He read everywhere and always had a book with him. I remember when we were growing up; we had cartons and cartons of old Readers Digest, which he subscribed to. He read novels also, from Dean Koontz, David Baldacci, to Sidney Sheldon. He loved magazines, he subscribed to Time and Newswatch. We also had an encyclopaedia which he read a lot. He was an avid reader. He read everything because he wanted to know more.

What do you miss most about him?

I miss his quiet presence and just having him around. I miss his influence, being able to ring him up and say, ‘I got this idea, what do you think?’ I miss his wealth of experience to guide me. Even though we his children are all grown up, there’s always that direction and leadership he provided that we miss. Thankfully, my mum is doing a wonderful job in filling that gap.

Did he have a particular routine?

It depended on his schedule and what he was doing at the time. It was not strange to see him awake at 4am writing a proposal or tweaking something he was working on. It wasn’t strange as well to see him at weekends sleeping until noon. So, it depended on what he was doing. I liked his lifestyle because he wasn’t boxed into the nine-to-five schedule. He did things according to his pace and he was able to make the best of his time.

What should your father be remembered for?

I think that people would remember him for his excellence. He didn’t do anything half-heartedly or in half measures. When he wanted to do something, he did it well. He wanted people to push themselves to the limit and get the best out of them. I think the term ‘broadcaster par excellence’ personifies Yinka Craig, the fact that if he did something, he did it well. We are looking at organising a series of memorial lectures on the things he was passionate about, including broadcasting, and how Nigeria as a country can progress in these areas.