*President Tinubu mourns…
By Our Reporter
Dr. Doyin Abiola, wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 Presidential Election, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, MKO, has died at the age of 82 years .
Family sources informed that Dr. Doyin Abiola passed on Tuesday at about 9.15pm.
The deceased became the first woman Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of a national daily in Nigeria.
Dr. Doyin and MKO Abiola got married in 1981, and since then stood through to her journalism career , even in the face of her husband’s political travails- June 12 presidential mandate
The late Abiola’s wife began her journalism journey in 1969 at the Daily Sketch, where her popular column “Tiro” tackled major societal issues including gender advocacy at a time when few dared.
In 1970, she left for the United States, bagged a master’s degree in journalism, and returned home to join Daily Times as a Features Writer. There, she rose to become Group Features Editor, and later secured a PhD in Communications and Political Science from New York in 1979.
On her return, she served on the Daily Times editorial board, where she worked alongside greats like Dele Giwa, Stanley Macebuh, and Amma Ogan.
She was the Chairperson of the Awards Nominating panel at the first Nigerian Media Merit Award to be hosted in the country, and also a member of Advisory Council, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Ogun State University.
She was a recipient of Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) for her lifelong devotion to advancing the frontiers of knowledge and strengthening the media as a pillar of democracy.
The Trustees of DAME unanimously approved her selection as a recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award at the 24th DAME Ceremony.
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed deep sense of loss over the demise of Chief MKO Abiola’s wife, Doyin.
In a tribute released on Wednesday, President Tinubu said he received news of Dr Abiola’s passing “with deep sadness,” recalling her pioneering role in Nigerian journalism and her unwavering commitment to democratic ideals.
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