Journalists, media leaders honour Dele Giwa at book unveiling

Journalists and prominent figures from Nigeria’s media industry on Monday gathered in Lagos to honour Dele Giwa, the late founding editor-in-chief of Newswatch magazine, 40 years after his assassination.

The gathering, held at the Sir Kessington Adebutu Auditorium of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos, featured the unveiling of Dele Giwa’s Granite Journalism, edited by veteran journalist Ray Ekpu, with a foreword by Yemi Ogunbiyi.

Among those in attendance were Sam Amuka, publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, who chaired the occasion; former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba, Mr Ogunbiyi, a former managing director of Daily Times, Nduka Obaigbena, chairman and editor-in-chief of THISDAY, and Biodun Shobanjo, founder of Insight Communications.

Mr Ekpu, a former colleague of Mr Giwa, said the book was intended to preserve his legacy and draw attention to the enduring importance of journalism, truth and accountability.

“We are not here to mourn the death of Dele, even though his death comes as a predictable mystery. We have done a lot of that, publicly and privately, in the last 40 years.

“We are here to give presence to his absence by presenting to the public a book that will immortalise him,” he said.

Mr Ekpu said the publication brings together selected articles written by Mr Giwa for Daily Times, The Sunday Concord and Newswatch, as well as interviews and contributions examining his journalism and influence.

He recalled his close relationship with Mr Giwa, including the period when they lived in a duplex in Ikeja, Lagos, with their families.

Mr Ekpu also recounted how his young son abandoned his ambition to become a journalist after Mr Giwa was killed, saying the incident reflected the risks journalists face while covering protests, riots, elections and wars.

Citing figures from the International Federation of Journalists, Mr Ekpu said 128 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025. He lamented the inadequate protection of journalists and the failure to ensure accountability for attacks against them.

“Whoever said that the pen is mightier than the sword did not have Nigeria in mind,” he said.

He urged journalists to continue holding those in power accountable, saying much remained to be done to build a better Nigeria.

Kolawole reflects on Giwa’s legacy

Reviewing the book, founder of The Cable, an online newspaper, Simon Kolawole, described Mr Giwa as a writer whose work was driven by intellectual curiosity, a commitment to truth and a sense of public responsibility.

Mr Kolawole said Mr Giwa’s journalism extended beyond reporting on Nigeria to international politics, race relations, the Western media, capital and questions about human existence.

Mr Kolawole said the book did not present Mr Giwa as a saint, acknowledging that he could be combative and critical. Rather, he said, Mr Giwa was a journalist deeply engaged with society and unwilling to remain indifferent to its problems.

He said the collection offered lessons in curiosity, courage, clarity, storytelling, discipline and originality.

Mr Kolawole also described journalism as a public responsibility rather than merely a profession.

“Forty years after his assassination, the remarkable thing is not simply that Nigerians still remember his book. It is that his writing can still command our attention, challenge our assumptions, and give us considerable reading pleasure,” he said.

He urged journalists, students of journalism and history, writers and other readers to engage with the collection.

Family, colleagues celebrate Giwa

Mr Giwa’s widow, Funmi, and daughter, Aisha, attended the event alongside journalists from different generations and media organisations who gathered to celebrate his contribution to Nigerian journalism.

Aisha said she remained proud of her father and the legacy he left behind.

READ ALSO: Newswatch to unveil book honouring Dele Giwa 40 years after assassination

The gathering also featured reflections on press freedom, professional courage and the responsibility of journalists to hold public officials accountable.

The late Dele Giwa

Mr Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb delivered to his Lagos residence on 19 October 1986. His assassination remains one of the most prominent unsolved killings of a journalist in Nigeria.

His killing, widely blamed on the then-regime of military president Ibrahim Babangida, remains unresolved. Mr Babangida, 85, has consistently denied complicity in the murder. The late legal icon, Gani Fawehinmi, championed the cause of justice for Mr Giwa until he himself passed away in September 2009.

Mr Giwa, who was 39 at the time of his death in 1986, co-founded Newswatch magazine in 1985 with Mr Ekpu, Yakubu Mohammed and Dan Agbese. Mr Giwa served as the magazine’s editor-in-chief, with Mr Ekpu as his deputy.

The magazine, under Mr Giwa’s editorship, helped advance investigative journalism in Nigeria.