By Obinna Uballa
Mr. Dan Agbese, one of Nigeria’s most influential journalists and a co-founder of the trailblazing Newswatch magazine, has passed away at the age of 81.
Family sources confirmed the development on Monday morning in Lagos, according to a report by journalist Shola Oshunkeye.
Agbese, revered as one of the finest newspaper columnists of his generation, played a defining role in shaping modern Nigerian journalism. Before co-founding Newswatch in 1985, he served as editor of The Nigeria Standard, New Nigerian, and later became the general manager of Radio Benue.
Until April 2010, he was Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch, a publication that transformed investigative journalism in Nigeria.
A prolific writer, Agbese authored several widely respected books, including Nigeria Their Nigeria, Fellow Nigerians, The Reporter’s Companion, Style: A Guide to Good Writing, and The Columnist’s Companion: The Art and Craft of Column Writing.
He held degrees in mass communication and journalism from the University of Lagos and Columbia University in New York, and remained a towering figure in media practice for decades.
