Death of a media Amazon

Remi Oyo

Former colleagues of the late Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, mourn her, 

Nigerians from different walks of life, especially media professionals, have paid tributes to the late media Amazon and spokesman of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo.

They variously described her death as a huge loss to the industry she served for four decades.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Dele Bodunde, on Wednesday described the development as a great loss “not just to all of us at NAN, but also to the Nigerian media at large.”

The former President, the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Gbenga Adefaye, described the late Oyo as a “fantastic individual, excellent journalist, role model and mentor.” Continue..

He recalled that everybody desired to take after her when she was at the Guild of Editors as president, saying she brought sterling qualities to bear on her leadership.

Adefaye said the media industry and, indeed, the entire country, would miss Oyo’s excellent leadership, saying it was unfortunate she left so soon.

Also, the guild’s incumbent President, Mr. Femi Adesina, likened the passage to “a big tree that has fallen in a forest.”

He said the death was a great loss, as Nigeria would have wanted her to stay longer to continue to impact on the media industry and the country at large.

He, however, said the industry was consoled by the fact that she gave her all.

Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative, Yinka Oyinlola, described Oyo as exemplary. He noted that the late media professional touched different areas and sectors with her sterling leadership qualities.

“The changes you impacted are numerous and will continue to live forever. How can we forget bringing NAN to the digital age? Or is it the service delivery improvement at NAN? “Before you, we could not boast of a woman as the president of NGE. Your worth was not only as a media professional but also as a leader; your worth was not only national but international. Your worth was not only as a champion of girls’ education but also of humanity,” he said.

The deceased was appointed, in 2007, as the managing director of NAN, her last duty post until her death.

While in office, she sought to turn around the fortune of the agency, especially in terms of infrastructure development, as she pursued the digitalisation initiative to a logical conclusion. Industry experts also associated her reign with NAN’s institutional credibility and international recognition.

In 2003, Obasanjo appointed Oyo, as Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity).

She was a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors where she served as the first female president. She was also a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria.

She began her journalism career at the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (now Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria), rising to the post of Principal Editor before moving to the News Agency of Nigeria, where she served as the editor and pioneer head of the quality control desk.

For over a decade, the late Oyo served as Nigerian bureau chief for the Inter Press Service Global News Agency.

She received laurels while in active service and towards the end of her career, including the Officer of the Niger and Dame of Saint Gregory the Great, a knighthood conferred on her by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Dame award was particularly in recognition of her support for girl-child education and that of her alma mater, St Louis Secondary School, Kano.

Born into a Catholic family, Oyo had her primary education at the St. James’ Catholic Primary School in Ilorin, where she grew up. She attended St. Louis Girls Secondary School, Bompai, Kano and had her higher education in Lagos and Britain.

President Goodluck Jonathan described Oyo’s death as saddening.

Apart from the honour she received, the President said, Oyo would be remembered for “her exemplary professional life, inspiring leadership qualities, motherliness and generosity, immense patriotism and remarkable transformation of the News Agency of Nigeria.”

A statement issued by his media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, said, “The President commiserates with the Nigerian Guild of Editors who Oyo served most admirably as a two-term president in the course of her trail-blazing journalism career, the management and staff of NAN as well as the many colleagues, friends and protégés she garnered.

“The President joins them in mourning Oyo who, having attained great success in a profession hitherto dominated by men, patriotically entered national service. The President believes that although she was already much honoured in life with accolades and awards, including Officer of the Order of the Niger, Oyo will always be remembered and continually honoured.”