Dr. Doyin Abiola, wife of the late businessman and politician Moshood (MKO) Abiola, has died at the age of 82.
Family sources said she died at 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday after a period of illness.
A trailblazer in the media industry, Dr. Abiola made history as the first Nigerian woman to become editor and later managing director of a national daily newspaper. Her leadership at National Concord, where she worked for over three decades, helped shape public discourse and inspired generations of journalists.
Born in 1943, she studied English and Drama at the University of Ibadan and began her career at the Daily Sketch, where she wrote the popular column Tiro, focusing on public issues and gender equity.
In 1970, she left Nigeria to pursue a master’s degree in journalism in the United States. Upon her return, she joined Daily Times, rising to become group features editor. She later earned a Ph.D. in communications and political science from New York University in 1979.
Dr. Abiola served on the Daily Times editorial board before becoming the first editor of the newly launched National Concord in 1980. She became managing director of the paper in 1986.
Her marriage to National Concord publisher MKO Abiola in 1981 placed her at the centre of Nigeria’s political history, particularly during the crisis that followed the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election won by her husband.
She also held key roles in national development. She chaired the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) nomination panel, served on the advisory council of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences at Olabisi Onabanjo University and was a member of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) steering committee.
Doyin Abiola was honoured with several awards, including the DAME Lifetime Achievement Award and the Eisenhower Fellowship in 1986. She also served as a director of the defunct Integrated Microfinance Bank and chaired the National Commission for Women Affairs.
