Dr Doyin Abiola, widow of late Chief MKO Abiola, has died.
The deceased was a veteran journalist, who was once the Managing Director of National Concord, a defunct newspaper owned by the late widely-acclaimed winner of June 12 presidential election of 1993.
According to reports, the octogenarian died at the age of 82 around 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday after a long illness.
Dr. Abiola, a pioneer in Nigerian journalism, was the first woman to become editor, then managing director/editor-in-chief, of a national daily newspaper.
Her employment at National Concord lasted more than three decades, during which time she influenced media debate and trained a generation of journalists.
Born in 1943, Dr. Abiola obtained a degree in English and Drama from the University of Ibadan in 1969. She began her journalism career at the Daily Sketch, where she penned a widely read column titled Tiro, addressing issues of public concern, particularly gender equity.
In 1970, she left Nigeria to pursue a Master’s degree in Journalism in the United States. Upon her return, she joined the Daily Times as a Features Writer and rose to become Group Features Editor. She later earned a Ph.D. in Communications and Political Science from New York University in 1979.
Returning to Nigeria, she served on the Daily Times editorial board alongside respected journalists such as Stanley Macebuh, Dele Giwa, and Amma Ogan. In 1980, she became the pioneer editor of the newly launched National Concord, eventually rising to Managing Director in 1986.
