The governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has described the death of veteran journalist and co-founder of Newswatch magazine, Yakubu Mohammed, as a colossal loss to Nigeria’s media industry.
Mohammed, a former Managing Editor and ex-Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Newswatch Communications Limited, as well as a one-time Pro-Chancellor and Chancellor of the Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University, died on Tuesday at the age of 75.
He was widely celebrated as a distinguished journalist, author, columnist and publisher whose career spanned several decades and left a lasting imprint on journalism in Nigeria.
In a condolence message issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, Governor Sanwo-Olu described Mohammed’s death as painful and heartbreaking, noting that his wealth of experience, knowledge and professional excellence would be sorely missed.
“The death of former Managing Editor of Newswatch and ex-Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Newswatch Communications Limited, Yakubu Mohammed, is a great loss to journalism and the media industry in Nigeria, as well as to his family and friends,” the governor said.
He described the late Mohammed as a bold, courageous and uncompromising journalist, editor, columnist and publisher who devoted his life to the growth and development of journalism in the country, adding that he was a role model to many media practitioners.
Sanwo-Olu noted that Mohammed nurtured and provided platforms for journalists who later became leading voices in the profession and leaders in various sectors of national life.
“On behalf of the government and people of Lagos State, I sympathise with the Mohammed family, the people of Ologba in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, and the entire media industry over this irreparable loss,” he said.
The governor also commiserated with the deceased’s friends and colleagues, praying that God grants Yakubu Mohammed eternal rest and gives those he left behind the fortitude to bear the loss.
