President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday described the immediate past managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the late Oluremi Oyo, as an exemplary and inspiring trail-blazer.
Jonathan said this while reacting to Oyo’s death in a statement issued in Abuja by his senior special adviser on media and publicity, Reuben Abati.
Oyo, a Fellow of the NGE and its first female president, died on Wednesday in a London hospital, few days to her 62nd birthday, which would have come on October 12.
He said that the deceased was one of the most eminent Nigerian female journalists in the country. The statement reads, “On behalf of his family and the Federal Government, Jonathan extends sincere condolences to her husband, Vincent, her children, Otome and Okiemuote, her surviving siblings and other relatives.
“The president similarly commiserates with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), who Oyo served most admirably as a two-term president in the course of her trail-blazing journalism career.”
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo described her death as painful.
Oyo also was the senior special assistant on media and publicity to Obasanjo when he was president between 1999 and 2007.
Obasanjo said in a statement in Abeokuta that “the sudden death of this thorough-bred journalist left a very sour taste in our mouths.”
He noted that Oyo, through her public service as his media aide, earned the recognition and admiration of many of her compatriots across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
Senate President David Mark has lamented the demise of Oyo.
This is contained in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Paul Mumeh, in Abuja.
Mark, who described Oyo as a veteran journalist, said she distinguished herself as a professional and a successful administrator of very high repute.
According to him, “As an editor, she was a pathfinder and as the president, Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) she provided exemplary leadership that took the Guild to a higher level.
Labaran Maku, minister of information, described the death of Oyo as a huge loss to her family, the media industry and the country.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Joseph Mutah, his press secretary, Maku said he received the news of the demise of Oyo with shock and sadness.
The statement said Oyo was a core professional who dedicated her life to the service of the nation and humanity through journalism.
Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, commiserated with the president, Nigerian Guild of Editors, over the death of Oyo.
In a condolence message signed by his chief press secretary, Peter Okhiria, Oshiomhole said, “Mrs. Oyo’s death is a sad loss not only to her family, the Guild of Editors, the media industry but to the entire nation which she served with vigour and forthrightness.
“Remi Oyo was a dedicated journalist who gave her all for the growth of journalism and from my interactions with her she came to me as a detribalised Nigerian who had deep passion for her country.”
Governor Kayode Fayemi, governor, Ekiti State, described her death as a great loss to the state and Nigeria as a whole.
Fayemi, in a statement by Olayinka Oyebode, his chief press secretary, said Oyo’s death is a bitter pill to swallow at this critical period in the history of the state and the country.
On his part, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun described Oyo’s death as a loss to journalism in particular and the media industry in general.
Amosun said Oyo was not only an icon of an ideal journalist, but also a trail blazer in the pen profession.
“I used to marvel at her energy and dedication to duty as senior special assistant on media to President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.”
The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has also joined others in mourning the passage of the former managing director of NAN.
In a statement by Isaac Ighure, secretary-general, NGE, the Guild said Oyo will long be remembered by the NGE for her exemplary leadership qualities, which, it said, brought the Guild out of a near comatose state, with about 200 members, and transformed it into a vibrant association of senior editors with more than 400 members.
“Her tenure as the NGE president marked a new beginning for the Guild and laid a solid foundation for its transformation into a force to be reckoned with in the country.”
Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State condoled with family, friends and associates of Oyo.
The governor, in a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday by his special adviser on media, Festus Adedayo, said that the demise of Oyo was shocking and disheartening.
“Mrs. Oyo was a leading light in the journalism profession in Nigeria. She was a professional to the core and had used her skill and dexterity to lift the profession and impact positively on the lives of upcoming journalists.”
Ima Niboro, the managing director, NAN, also condoled with the family of Oyo.
Niboro, in a statement, described the late Oyo as a “seasoned journalist”.
According to the statement, Oyo began her journalism career in 1973 as a reporter with the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), now Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).
She later joined NAN in 1981 as a desk editor and retired in 1985 as a principal editor, being the first woman to attain such a high position in the agency.
“The management and staff of NAN mourn with the family of this illustrious, distinguished journalist and patriot per excellence”, Niboro said.
