By Charles Okogene
Mr. Toyin Subair first came to public limelight as one of those that worked closely with Senator Ben Murray-Bruce (the common sense man) when the latter was the director general of Nigerian Television Authority, NTA.
As an intellectual lawyer, he was one of those that Murray-Bruce used to starve off the danger the hunger strike/legal action Ms. Onyeka Onwenu brought against the the station in Murray-Bruce’s days as DG posed.
Before his association with Murray-Bruce he was into private legal practice having graduated as an IP lawyer from LASU; and when his tenure ended at NTA, he returned to his chambers.
Not too long after, he delved into ownership of a cable TV having acquired enough experience to run an electronic media within his short working period with Murray-Bruce who is also the owner of Silverbird radio/TV.
And so on February 1 2007, Subair launched his HiTV as one of proudly Nigerian owned cable TV. Before then there were an attempt in that durection by Reuben Famuyibo FsTV,, the late Alego Dokpesi to own one, though, Trend TV was operating in Port Harcourt.
HiTV came, distrupted the industry as it siezed viewship from DStv, which was then dominating the scene. It did this by acquiring the EPL lincence from the South African owned company. HiTV followed the acquisition by aquiring the Yoruba Nollywood, another top programme that is dear to Nigeria house wives, took on Nickelodeon, the popular children programme. It was at the verge of becoming Nigeria’s number one cable TV in less than two years when the enemy struck through GTB Bank after the death its Managing Director, … Aderinokun who was instrumental to the bank’s facility that Subair sourced to set up the company.
The new MD that took over after the death of his predecessor was not favourable disposed to the loan, he delayed releasing money for the payment for the renewal of the EPL contract, which was the chicken that lays the golden eggs for HiTV and one thing led to the other, HiTV began to struggle until, it went off the air and DsTV reclaimed EPL.
While all these was playing out, unknown to Nigerians, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was watching and tried to pull HiTV out of the troubled water; first he started by paying the salary of HiTV workers and before he could help in making sure that the EPL remains with HiTV, the deed has been done, the owers of EPL had called on DsTV to come and reclaim the sports programme. See Subair’s interview of September 9,2016 with PremiumTimes on the real reason the station closed shop.
Toyin Subair
After the experience, Subair re-located to London to lick his wounds, retreat, repackage and probably return. And return he has made in a different way.
While in the wilderness in the UK, he kept in good touch with Tinubu; In fact, Subair is one the Nigerians Tinubu consults each time he is the UK to jaw-jaw with Nigerians on how to preside over the affairs of Nigeria.
Our source had said that with Tinubu as the president and considering his closeness with Subair, HiTV, is on his way back but unknown to him, the president who has been described as master strategist, has a different plan.
It is not suprisung to this writer that Subair emerged the brand new president’s all powerful post of Senior Special Adviser (Domestic). Indeed a square peg has been inserted in a square hole! A large heart fellow, Subair in 2009 sponsored this writer for two weeks to Nice, France to cover …..
