Doyin Abiola, renowned journalist and wife of late Concord Publisher and winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, has passed away.
Sources confirmed that she died at exactly 9:15 p.m. yesterday after battling an illness.
She was aged 82.
Dr. Abiola, who once served as the managing director and publisher of National Concord, holds the distinction of being the first Nigerian woman to edit a daily newspaper in the country.
Like many of MKO Abiola’s wives, she weathered the intense personal and political storms that followed the military annulment of the historic June 12 election. She also endured the pressures that came with her roles at home and at the Concord newspaper empire.
Doyin Abiola earned a degree in English and Drama from the University of Ibadan in 1969. She began her journalism career at the Daily Sketch, where she wrote a popular column titled Tiro, focusing on a variety of public interest topics, including gender issues.
In 1970, she left for the United States to pursue a master’s degree in Journalism. Upon returning to Nigeria, she joined the Daily Times as a Features Writer and rose to become Group Features Editor. She later returned to the U.S. and earned a Ph.D. in Communications and Political Science from New York University in 1979.
After her doctorate, she returned to the Daily Times and joined the editorial board, working alongside prominent journalists like Stanley Macebuh, Dele Giwa, and Amma Ogan. Her time there was brief, however, as she was invited to become the pioneer daily editor of the newly established National Concord newspaper.
She was appointed managing director/editor-in-chief of National Concord in 1986, making history once again as the first Nigerian woman to hold such a position in a daily newspaper. She married MKO Abiola in 1981.
Her journalism career at National Concord spanned over three decades. Beyond that, she contributed in various leadership roles within the Nigerian media industry.Doyin Abiola, Wife of MKO Abiola, Dies