Doyin Abiola: Nigeria’s Visionary Journalist Passes On at 82
Dr. Doyinsola Abiola, the first Nigerian woman to serve as editor and later editor-in-chief of a national newspaper, has died at the age of 82. Family sources confirmed she passed away on Tuesday following a brief illness.
Known across the media industry as a force of intellect, integrity, and pioneering spirit, Doyin Abiola was more than just a journalist; she was a movement.
Born in 1943, she started her journey into the world of storytelling and press freedom after obtaining a degree in English and Drama from the University of Ibadan in 1969. That same year, she joined the Daily Sketch as a reporter, quickly capturing national attention with her incisive weekly column, Tiro, which tackled issues of public concern and gave voice to the everyday Nigerian.
Driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a desire to reshape the Nigerian media landscape, Abiola left for the United States in 1970, earning a master’s degree in journalism. Upon returning home, she joined the Daily Times and rose through the ranks to become the group features editor, a role she executed with excellence and editorial sharpness.
Never one to settle, she took a study leave to pursue a PhD in communication and political science at New York University, completing the program in 1979. The following year, she joined the National Concord, and in a move that would forever change Nigerian journalism, she was appointed Editor in 1980 — becoming the first woman in Nigeria to hold such a position at a national daily.
But she didn’t stop there.
In 1986, she broke yet another barrier by becoming the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the National Concord, shattering multiple glass ceilings in a heavily male-dominated industry. Under her leadership, the publication maintained its editorial credibility, business growth, and cultural relevance.
Globally, Doyin Abiola was celebrated for her groundbreaking work. She was awarded the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship in 1986 and went on to become only the second woman to receive the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honors in African journalism.
Outside of her newsroom triumphs, she was also the wife of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, the widely acclaimed winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election. Yet, she never allowed that shadow to dim her own legacy, standing firmly as a media titan in her own right.
Doyin Abiola will be remembered not just for the positions she held, but for the doors she opened. She gave many young journalists, especially women, the courage to speak louder, write bolder, and dream bigger.
Her legacy is etched in ink and courage. And for that, the media world and Nigeria owes her more than just headlines.
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