Dr. Doyin Abiola, the wife of late Chief MKO Abiola and the first woman to serve as Managing Director and Publisher of the National Concord newspapers, has sadly passed away.

According to family sources, she died on the night of Tuesday, August 5, around 9:15 PM.

Dr. Doyin Abiola made history as the first Nigerian woman to become the editor of a national newspaper.

Her journalism career began in 1969 when she joined the Daily Sketch Newspaper. She launched a popular column titled Tiro, where she discussed various societal issues, including those affecting women.

In 1970, she left for the United States to pursue a Master’s degree in Journalism.

After completing her studies, she came back to Nigeria and joined Daily Times as a Features Writer. She rose through the ranks to become the Group Features Editor. She later returned to the U.S. to earn a PhD in Communications and Political Science in 1979.

Once she completed her doctorate, she returned to Daily Times and joined the editorial board, where she worked alongside renowned journalists like Stanley Macebuh, Dele Giwa, and Amma Ogan.

Not long after, she was invited to become the first daily editor of the newly established National Concord newspaper. She later became its Editor and, by 1986, had risen to the position of Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief—becoming the first woman in Nigeria to hold that top position in a daily newspaper.

Dr. Abiola spent over 30 years at the National Concord, where she held several leadership roles and contributed significantly to Nigeria’s media landscape.

She got married in 1981.

May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace.