President Bola Tinubu has sent a message of condolence to the family of Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed, a veteran journalist and co-founder of Newswatch Magazine, who passed away on Monday night.
This information was shared in a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja by the presidential spokesperson, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.
Mohammed established the iconic magazine in 1984 alongside Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, and the late Dele Giwa, sparking a period of “fearless investigative journalism” during the era of military rule in Nigeria.
The President expressed his sympathies to the government and citizens of Kogi State regarding the loss, while also extending condolences to the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association.
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Furthermore, the President offered his sympathies to various public and private media organizations where Mohammed had previously served.
Tinubu remarked that Mohammed’s journalism career lasted over fifty years and was fundamentally “devoted to nation-building,” highlighting that the deceased “consistently placed his life on the line to speak truth to power.”
Describing the late journalist as a personal friend, President Tinubu commended his commitment to the standards of professional journalism.
He specifically noted the determination shown by Mohammed and his partners to keep Newswatch running following the assassination of Dele Giwa in 1986.
Tinubu observed that “their courage reinforced the magazine’s legacy and expanded the frontiers of investigative journalism.”
He also mentioned that Mohammed’s memoir, titled Beyond Expectations and released in November 2025, served to stimulate “reflection on leadership and the media’s role in Nigeria.”
In addition to his editorial achievements, Mohammed held significant academic and administrative roles, serving as the Pro-Chancellor and Chancellor of the Governing Council at Ahmadu Bello University.
His extensive career included serving as the Associate Editor of New Nigerian Newspapers from 1976 to 1980, and later holding the positions of deputy editor and editor at National Concord between 1980 and 1984.
The President concluded by offering prayers that “Almighty God grant the departed eternal rest and admit him into Jannatul Firdaus.”
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