Dr. Doyin Abiola, the first female Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of a Nigerian national daily, has died at the age of 82. She passed away on Monday night around 9:15pm.
She was the wife of the late Chief MKO Abiola and a respected figure in the Nigerian media industry.
Dr. Abiola began her journalism career at the Daily Sketch in 1969, where she launched a column called Tiro that focused on public interest and gender-related issues.
She later earned a master’s degree in journalism in the United States and returned to work as a features writer at Daily Times. She rose to become Group Features Editor and eventually earned a PhD in communications and political science in 1979.
After her doctoral studies, she returned to the Daily Times editorial board and worked alongside notable editors including Dele Giwa and Stanley Macebuh.
She later joined National Concord as the pioneer daily editor and in 1986, she was appointed Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief—becoming the first Nigerian woman to hold that position in a national newspaper.
Dr. Abiola worked with National Concord for nearly 30 years. She also played key roles in media development, serving as Chairperson of the Awards Nominating Panel at the inaugural Nigerian Media Merit Award (NMMA).
She served on the advisory council of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences at Ogun State University and received multiple honors, including the prestigious Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME) Lifetime Achievement Award.
She was also a 1986 Eisenhower Fellow
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