HURRAY! NIGERIA'S LONGEST-SERVING AGONY AUNT IS 73! Nigeria's foremost female journalist and Agony Aunt, MS Bunmi Sofola turns 73 today, Friday, May 6, 2022. Ms. Bunmi Sofola who still writes her regular column ' YOURS SINCERELY' and 'DEAR BUNMI ' for Vanguard Newspapers every Sunday and Wednesday respectively, started her journalistic career in 1971 with Punch Newspapers as a feature writer. She later became the Editor of Happy Home Magazine( also from the stable of Punch Newspapers) in 1974. A few years later, she left her lucrative position as Editor of Happy Home to join Great Nigeria Insurance Company as the pioneer Head of the Public Relations Department. While in the insurance company her first love - Journalism, did not leave her. She kept regular columns with the Lagos Weekend Newspaper, Trust Magazine, and Indigo Magazine under the pseudo name Cleopatra and Dear Aunty Gina. Again, she left her comfortable position as Head, Public Relations Department of Great Nigeria Insurance Company, where she was not only paid well but was also making a lot of extra money from her large clientele as an insurance agent, to establish her Brokerage firm. When the Brokerage firm was not bringing in as much more money as expected, she went back to her first love - journalism and her mentor, Uncle Sam Amuka, who first employed her as a feature writer in her Punch days. This time around, Uncle Sam Amuka, the publisher of Vanguard Newspaper gave her the column 'Yours Sincerely' and later 'Dear Bunmi, the two columns she still writes unfailingly every week for 33 years now. In 1999, she published her first book titled ' Your Sincerely, a collection of her write-ups in the past. The book was launched in commemoration of her 50th birthday then. In 2009, she rolled out her second book also titled ' Yours Sincerely' the Vanguard Years, to mark her 60th birthday. She was also on radio with the then Radio Nigeria 2, on the 'Woman To Woman segment, and lately on Lagos Talks 93.1 FM on the Agony Aunt belt. She is also a mentor to many young journalists including yours sincerely, Tolani Abati.
 in 1974. A few years later, she left her lucrative position as Editor of Happy Home to join Great Nigeria Insurance Company as the pioneer Head of the Public Relations Department. While in the insurance company her first love - Journalism, did not leave her. She kept regular columns with the Lagos Weekend Newspaper, Trust Magazine, and Indigo Magazine under the pseudo name Cleopatra and Dear Aunty Gina. Again, she left her comfortable position as Head, Public Relations Department of Great Nigeria Insurance Company, where she was not only paid well but was also making a lot of extra money from her large clientele as an insurance agent, to establish her Brokerage firm. When the Brokerage firm was not bringing in as much more money as expected, she went back to her first love - journalism and her mentor, Uncle Sam Amuka, who first employed her as a feature writer in her Punch days. This time around, Uncle Sam Amuka, the publisher of Vanguard Newspaper gave her the column 'Yours Sincerely' and later 'Dear Bunmi, the two columns she still writes unfailingly every week for 33 years now. In 1999, she published her first book titled ' Your Sincerely, a collection of her write-ups in the past. The book was launched in commemoration of her 50th birthday then. In 2009, she rolled out her second book also titled ' Yours Sincerely' the Vanguard Years, to mark her 60th birthday. She was also on radio with the then Radio Nigeria 2, on the 'Woman To Woman segment, and lately on Lagos Talks 93.1 FM on the Agony Aunt belt. She is also a mentor to many young journalists including yours sincerely, Tolani Abati.){kind=link}
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