Dan Agbese
By Olamilekan Abayomi
Veteran Nigerian journalist and co-founder of Newswatch magazine, Dan Agbese, has passed away at the age of 81. He died on Monday, November 17, 2025, in Lagos. Agbese was a renowned columnist, editor, and author, celebrated for his sharp prose and decades-long contribution to journalism in Nigeria .
Agbese was born on May 12, 1944, in Agila, Benue State, and held degrees in mass communications and journalism from the University of Lagos and Columbia University, New York, respectively. He co-founded Newswatch in 1984 with Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, and Yakubu Mohammed, and served as the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief until April 2010 .
Throughout his career, Agbese worked as an editor for The Nigeria Standard and New Nigerian newspapers, and as General Manager of Radio Benue. He was also a prolific author, writing several acclaimed books, including “Nigeria Their Nigeria,” “Fellow Nigerians,” and “The Columnist’s Companion: The Art and Craft of Column Writing.
Agbese’s legacy has been widely acknowledged, with tributes pouring in from across the country. Senator David Mark described him as a “brother and a pathfinder of enormous value,” while the League of Nigerian Columnists praised his “integrity, clarity of thought, and professional bravery.
