Renowned journalist, editor Lewis Obi dies at 77

Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

A veteran journalist and editor Mr. Lewis Obi has passed on at the age of 77 years.

Lewis Obi rose to prominence as a star features writer at the Daily Times.

He was later recruited by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (M.K.O.) Abiola to join the defunct Concord Group as Features Editor of National Concord.

He later became founding editor, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of African Concord, one of the group’s flagship weekly magazines.

Under his Obi’s leadership, African Concord emerged as a major platform for investigative and analytical journalism during Nigeria’s years of military rule.

His editorial work brought him into direct confrontation with state authorities, forcing him into exile in the United States after a period of intense repression.

The journalist whose career left a lasting imprint on modern Nigerian journalism was a native of Amurri in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.

He was was educated at Methodist Central School, Agbani.

He also earned a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, where he was a distinguished student of the late communications scholar Professor Alfred Opubor.

Lewis Obi who was renowned as a mentor with a keen eye for talent nurtured many of Nigeria’s leading journalists and public intellectuals.

He therefore left behind a legacy defined by courage, literary excellence and professional generosity.

He was survived by his wife and children.