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Tinubu Mourns Passing of Doyin Abiola, Commiserates with Family

Published

7 months ago

August 6, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has expressed sadness over the death of Dr Doyin Abiola, a former Managing Director of National Concord, and wife of the late Chief MKO Abiola

Dr Doyin Abiola, a renowned journalist and media icon, passed at 9:15 pm on Tuesday in a brief period of illness, at the age of 82.

The President, in a statement he personally signed, described Dr. Abiola as an amazon, media trailblazer and soldier of democracy.

The full statement reads in-extenso:

GOODNIGHT, DOYIN ABIOLA, MEDIA TRAILBLAZER, SOLDIER OF DEMOCRACY – PRESIDENT TINUBU

I received with deep sadness the news early on Wednesday of the passing of Dr. Doyinsola Hamidat Abiola, a trailblazing journalist, editor, and former Managing Director of the defunct Concord Group of newspapers and wife of the late Bashorun MKO Abiola.

Doyin Abiola, 82, was an Amazon and an icon in Nigerian journalism. She stayed in the journalism course since starting as a reporter with the defunct Daily Sketch after graduating from the University of Ibadan in 1969, majoring in English and Drama.

She broke the gender barrier, becoming the first woman to edit a national newspaper and the first Managing Director of a daily newspaper.

Her immense contributions to journalism and gender equity laid a foundation for generations of women. Her impact on our democracy was even more profound.

Doyin embodied integrity, tenacity, hard work, commitment to excellence and dedication to public good and democratic good governance.

In 1980, she emerged as the pioneer Editor of National Concord, owned by the late MKO Abiola. She later became the managing director and editor-in-chief of all the Concord titles, including founding the Weekend Concord, which set new standards for making people the focus of reporting.

I had a good relationship with the late Doyin, which stemmed from my close relationship with the late MKO Abiola.

As MKO’s wife, Doyin became acquainted with politics and took a keen interest in it, particularly when her husband ran for the country’s presidency in 1993.

She played a prominent role in MKO’s election, mobilising and providing direction for the media under her control.

And when the June 12 election, won by her husband, was annulled, she did not stand aside. Despite the military junta shutting down the Concord Group, she also joined the fray, demanding the validation of the election. She was a soldier of democracy in her own right.

Nigerians will never forget Doyin Abiola’s leadership during her illustrious journalism career, her championing women’s empowerment, and her commitment to democracy.

I commiserate with the Abiola and Aboaba families, her only daughter, Doyinsola, and the government and people of Lagos and Ogun States.

May her soul rest in peace. May this nation be blessed with more women of Doyin Abiola’s calibre and pedigree.

Featured

Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

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Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

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DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.