These words "This is Bishop Esau from Sabongida-Ora" was a familiar routine every morning across radio stations in Benin City, Edo State for several years. They were the words of an avid radio devotee from the headquarters of Owan West Local Government Area. Sadly, that pristine voice from Sabongida-Ora of the most devoted radio listener and contributor in living memory would no longer be heard across the air waves.
This was a unique man with many beautiful qualities. In the words of Efe Osafomwan, "He was not an On Air Personality in a media house, but he was more popular than an OAP".
His was a voice heard cross Independent Radio, KU FM, Speed FM, EBS Radio, Radio Nigeria, Bronze FM and on Television just to mention, but a few. He was more than an OAP.
His consistency at listening and contributing to radio programme through phone calls on a daily basis remains unparalleled in my years as a radio listener.
For years, especially for the working days early morning programme such as Man Around Town on Independent Radio, he was always the first caller to contribute on a range of topics, and the man seldom had difficulties in getting his calls through. They always connected. His first caller stint wasn't restricted to the above programme. On TV, he was also a regular contributor on Politics Today, a programme on ITV that airs on Saturday mornings.
He was regarded as part of the crew on the morning talk show Waka About on EBS Radio. And again, he was always the first caller. It was so from Mondays to Fridays.
As a result of his unbroken daily first caller slot on radio programmes, other listeners actually thought there was a foul play on the part of the radio stations. On at least two occasions, while listening to Man Around Town and Waka About on EBS Radio, I heard a caller complaining on the fact that Bishop Esau was always the first caller. Some of them wrongly thought that the radio station was engaging in foul play for him to consistently be the first caller not just for days, months, but for years. Who could blame them for suspecting foul play? Several listeners try to put calls across on daily basis to these programmes, but they don't get through. I have heard several callers lamenting that they had been trying the above mentioned radio programmes for years, but are unable to get through. But here was a man, whose calls always connected every day uninterrupted. This was unique on his part.
However, passion is the driver of innovation. As it turned out, Bishop Esau's calls always went through, because he had a method that enabled him to 'easily' get his calls across. In the words of Efe Osafomwan in one of Man Around Town shows in September, Mr Esau’s son mentioned the fact that his father had four phone lines with which he used to make his calls. And he used these lines to put calls across to these radio programmes simultaneously whenever their lines are opened to listeners. So the one that gets connected is what he uses to contribute on the day. While other listeners used just the one line or at most two phone lines, here was a man that used four lines at once. Talk about living your passion.
There was also the fact mentioned by Efe Osafomwan as told to him by Mr Esau's son, that he had a unique transistor radio that seldom had issues with getting good reception.
His contributions on radio, weren't restricted to early morning shows. Sometime in 2018, I was listening to MC Fasodo on Independent Radio on a Monday night. This was between 10pm to 11pm. To my surprise, Bishop Esau called into that programme. I asked myself on the day, "does he ever take a break?"
A unique feature about this contributions on radio, were that it wasn’t one-dimensional. He was a very sound and intelligent man. A mass communicator. There was no topic he could not have a say on. He was not just a social critic or public affairs analyst. He contributed on sports too. This I knew through his phone calls on sports shows on Bronze FM.
In 2018, by happenstance, I came about listening to Radio Nigeria National 4pm news. They were summarising the Saturday Morning programme, part of it was the contribution of callers. As it turned out, Bishop Esau was one of the contributors that day. I heard his voice.
What more can I say about this great Nigerian? Many listeners never knew him in person, including myself, but if there was one voice that had so a great influence on radio in Edo State, outside certain popular OAPs, it was his. The sheer number of listeners that have commiserated with his family on radio is a testament to this. These listeners never knew him in person. They knew his voice. Through his voice, they knew whose he was.
On the Monday, September 14, 2020 when news of his demise was announced on radio, one guest on Waka About on EBS Radio, made a comment thus, "I always hear him on radio, I don’t know him, but I always wondered how he gets the airtime to always make those sheer number of calls everyday".
I have never seen such devotion from a radio listener & contributor. He was a unique man. That his voice reverberated far and wide didn’t go unnoticed.
And there was something pristine about his introduction whenever he called in, "Bishop Esau and Sabongida-Ora" always went together. He practically did more in putting Sabongida-Ora on the map than anybody else from that grand old town in the last couple of years.
Another side of Bishop Esau, was his generosity. A crew member on Waka about on EBS Radio, mentioned how he usually sent airtime to crew members in particular to Pharmacist Airen, a contributor that gives health talk on the programme on Mondays. Among other contributions he made. He was undoubtedly a man with a large heart and a very patriotic Nigerian.
Bishop Esau was a retiree who was a firm believer in Nigeria. Though, from the interview his wife and son granted to Waka About on EBS Radio, two days after his demise on Monday, September 14, 2020 the Nigerian system ultimately let him down in his last days. The bitterness of his son was palpable when he spoke from Sabongida-Ora on that day.
He narrated how poor the response from the medical personnel on duty were at the Accident and Emergency Ward of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital when Bishop Esau was transferred there.
In his words “the health care system is not really good. He struggled well, well, the first hospital in Sabongida-Ora couldn’t detect what was wrong with him, it was at Irrua what was wrong was detected. Bringing him to Irrua was not easy, as the road was terrible. When we got to Irrua, the emergency system was terrible. Somebody said, is because he didn’t come with in an ambulance. . .its very unethical, the thing do good na, they will be shouting at people . . ., even the security they are not nice, they need to be thought ethics”.
In the words of his wife, on that Monday, "My husband fought to stay alive".
A testament to how many missed him, was revealed on the eve of the Edo State governorship election. On Friday September 18, 2020. A listener called into Rush Hour. An evening programme on Independent Radio.
These were the caller’s words "One person wey pain me wey no go see this election na Bishop Esau from Sabongida-Ora". That struck me. Life indeed is ephemeral.
That was the only reason that listener called in that day. He belonged to the several group of persons who cherished and appreciated the contributions of Bishop Esau.
Will there ever be such a voice on radio in Edo State? One so devoted, so consistent, so patriotic, so passionate, and so generous!
He died on Saturday, September 12, 2020,leaving behind his wife, a son and two daughters. His funeral activities takes place this weekend: October 2-3, 2020 at Sabongida-Ora, Owan East Local Government, Edo State.
