The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has mourned the passing of Raymond Dokpesi, founding chairman of Daar Communications Plc, describing it as a shock to the nation.
Dokpesi, a media icon, died in Abuja on Monday at the age of 71.
Kabiru Yusuf, president of NPAN, in a statement on Wednesday, said, “Chief Dokpesi, a trained marine engineer and politician, pioneered private radio and television broadcasting in the country with the establishment in 1994, of Ray Power, an Fm radio station and the Africa Independent Television (AIT), two years later.”
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Yusuf also highlighted the seasoned political career of Dokpesi, as one who held various strategic positions in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as well as using his platform to touch lives while also using the instrumentality of his media platform to give the Nigerian people a voice.
“While we commiserate with members of the media fraternity, his immediate and political families, on this irreparable loss, we are consoled by the fact that he left behind an enduring legacy of hard work and selflessness,” Yusuf said.
“We also encourage our Nigerian youth to emulate Dokpesi’s modesty, and passion for the industry. The nation has lost a great pioneer, a patriot, an advocate of good governance /a free press and the right of people to know,” Yusuf added.
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