Dr. Doyin Abiola, Nigeria’s First Female Newspaper Editor and Former Concord MD, Dies at 82

Dr. Doyin Abiola, trailblazing journalist, former Managing Director and Publisher of National Concord newspapers, and wife of the late Chief MKO Abiola, has passed away. She died on Tuesday at about 9:15 p.m. at the age of 82.

Abiola made history as the first Nigerian woman to edit a national daily and later as the first female Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of a Nigerian newspaper.

Her journalism career began in 1969 at the Daily Sketch, where she launched a popular column, Tiro, addressing public issues, including gender advocacy. In 1970, she left for the United States to pursue a master’s degree in Journalism and later obtained a PhD in Communications and Political Science from New York in 1979.

Upon her return, she joined the Daily Times as a Features Writer, rising to become Group Features Editor, before moving to the editorial board alongside renowned editors like Stanley Macebuh, Dele Giwa, and Amma Ogan.

Abiola’s breakthrough came when she was invited to become the pioneer Editor of National Concord, later ascending to Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief in 1986—a position she held for three decades, cementing her legacy as a leading voice in Nigerian media.

Beyond the newsroom, she chaired the inaugural Nigerian Media Merit Award (NMMA) nominating panel, served on the Advisory Council of Ogun State University’s Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, and received multiple honors, including the prestigious Diamond Award for Media Excellence (DAME) Lifetime Achievement Award and an Eisenhower Fellowship in 1986.