19th August, 2020
By Nimot Adetola Sulaimon
The Newspaper Priopertor’s Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has described the late Mallam Wada Maida as an intellectual and a gentle giant.
This is contained in a statement signed by Nduka Obaigbena, President of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
It read; ”It is with an utmost shock that we received the news of the death, on Monday, August 17, 2020, of Mal. Wada Maida, who until his death, was the Chairman, Board of Directors of People’s Media, publishers of the People’s Daily Newspapers.
”Mal. Wada, a consummate journalist and dedicated canvasser for a free press, was one of the pillars of our esteemed Association, the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
”He was an intellectual and a gentle giant.
”His passage is more shocking, coming barely a month after the death of the Life Patron of the Association, Mal Ismaila Isa.
”His life was a testament to public good and service, at both the local and international levels. For instance, until his death, he chaired the Board of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), and served as a member of the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI), deploying his wealth of experience.
”At the NPAN, he was one of the intellectuals in the engine room of the Association. Mal. Wada, who was also a former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), was a defender of free press and democracy. The nation has lost an icon and the Nigerian and international Press, a strong pillar.
”We mourn” it ended.