PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, mourned the death of veteran journalist, author and co-founder of Newswatch magazine, Dan Agbese, calling him “an institution”.
Agbese, the Awan’Otun of Agila in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, died in Lagos on Monday at 81.
Tinubu, in a statement on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Agbese’s death was a painful loss to the media industry and the nation.
Tinubu noted that Agbese and his Newswatch colleagues helped to pioneer a new era of investigative journalism in Nigeria, raising the standards for ethical and courageous reporting.
He noted, “Dan Agbese was not just a journalist; he was an institution. His pen shaped public opinion, strengthened democratic discourse, and inspired a generation of media practitioners.”
Tinubu said the veteran journalist “served Nigeria with integrity, courage, and commitment to truth and justice,” adding that “his contribution to the evolution of the modern Nigerian press will be remembered forever.”
He prayed that journalism would be guided by the Agbese legacy while he consoled with the family left behind.
In the same vein, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, described Agbese’s death as a major blow to the nation’s media community and the country’s democratic development.
The Senate President stated this in a condolence message on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh.
Akpabio described Agbese’s demise as “a monumental loss to Nigeria’s journalism family and to all who value truth, integrity, and courageous storytelling.”
According to him, the former Editor of The New Nigerian and The Nigeria Standard belonged to a generation of journalists who set professional standards that shaped media practice for decades.
“The statement partly read, “I deeply mourn the loss of Chief Dan Agbese, a distinguished journalist who devoted his life to the pursuit of truth, accountability, and press freedom.
“His writings shaped national conscience, challenged power, and illuminated the path of democracy. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of journalists yet unborn.”
Akpabio also extended condolences to the Agbese family, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
Agbese was one of Nigeria’s most influential editors and a founding partner of Newswatch magazine alongside Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, and Yakubu Mohammed in 1984.
The magazine became a watershed in investigative journalism and set new benchmarks for accountability reporting.
Until April 2010, Agbese served as Editor-in-Chief of the publication, after earlier stints as Managing Editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief.
He later wrote widely read opinion columns in Daily Trust and The Guardian, while co-running a media consultancy with Ekpu, Mohammed and Soji Akinrinade.
Agbese co-founded Newswatch in the 1980s with the late Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu and Yakubu Mohammed.
The magazine faced confrontations with military rule, most tragically the 1986 letter-bomb assassination of Giwa and a subsequent proscription.
He is survived by his wife, Chief Rose Agbese, six children and seven grandchildren.
