Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has expressed condolences to the management and staff of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation, following the death of journalist Evelyn Osagie.
Osagie, who was an assistant editor on the arts and life desk and also handled the women’s section of the mid-week magazine in the Wednesday edition of the paper, died in Lagos on Sunday after a brief illness. She was 17 years into her career at The Nation.
Her sister, Patience Osagie, who broke the news of her death, said Evelyn had called her on Thursday to say she was seriously ill. Patience took her to the hospital on Friday, but by Sunday morning, she was dead.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a message delivered by commissioner for information and strategy Gbenga Omotoso, extended condolences to Osagie’s family, colleagues and friends. He prayed for the repose of her soul and for strength for those she left behind.
At an editors’ conference on Monday, managing director and editor-in-chief of The Nation, Victor Ifijeh, described Osagie as extremely passionate about her job. A minute’s silence was observed in her honour, with the meeting dominated by discussions of her life and career.
Born in Lagos, Evelyn Osagie studied at the University of Benin, graduating in 2003. She built a wide network of friends, contacts and sources in the arts and culture world. She performed poetry at local and international events, and also acted. She kept a column on women’s affairs and other social issues.
Over the years, she won several awards, including the 2015 Nigeria Media Merit Award Beatrice Bassey Prize for Female Reporter. She was a member of professional and cultural bodies such as the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), and the Arts and Culture Writers Association of Nigeria (ACWAN).
One of her most notable works was the story of Indian Ayuba, a 13-year-old girl who stood by her mentally challenged mother. Osagie reported the story with empathy and commitment, following it to the end.
Tributes poured in from colleagues and organisations. The Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW) described her as “a rare blend of artistry and activism.” Writer and critic Molara Wood called her “an intrepid culture journalist, tireless, highly resourceful, full of verve.”
The International Press Centre (IPC), in a statement by its executive director, Lanre Arogundade, said her death was a huge loss to the journalism community. “She was a renowned journalist who, through her inclusive reports, amplified the voice of women across board,” he said. He added that Osagie played an active role at the recent EU-supported IPC and NAWOJ interface in Port Harcourt on newsroom inclusion during elections, where she pledged that The Nation would lead in projecting female politicians ahead of 2027.
