Veteran journalist Dele Cole dies at 86

Veteran writer and diplomat Ambassador Dele Cole has died astatine the property of 86.

Cole reportedly passed distant connected the greeting of Saturday, 17 October 2026, according to household sources.

He was a erstwhile managing manager of the Daily Times, 1 of Nigeria’s starring paper organisations. He aboriginal served the state arsenic ambassador to Argentina and Brazil.

Born connected August 4, 1940, successful Abonnema, successful the Kalabari Kingdom of present-day Rivers State, Cole had a agelong world travel that took him to institutions successful Nigeria, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

He began his aboriginal acquisition astatine St Bartholomew’s School successful Enugu, wherever helium studied from 1946 to 1953. He aboriginal attended Baptist High School successful Port Harcourt betwixt 1954 and 1958 earlier proceeding to Ibadan Grammar School, wherever helium studied from 1959 to 1960.

In 1962, Cole travelled to New Zealand to further his acquisition astatine the University of Otago successful Dunedin, wherever helium remained until 1965.

He continued his studies astatine the University of Cambridge successful the United Kingdom from 1966 to 1970. He subsequently became a chap of King’s College, Cambridge, from 1970 to 1973 and earned a doctorate successful history.

Cole’s vocation successful the media included his assignment arsenic a non-executive manager of the Daily Times successful 1975. He aboriginal roseate to go the newspaper’s managing director, helping to found his estimation successful Nigeria’s journalism industry.

Beyond journalism, helium besides played a relation successful nationalist work and in...