Nigerian veteran journalist, Peter Enahoro fondly known by his pen name, ‘Peter Pan’ died in London, the United Kingdom on Monday.
This was announced in a statement by Nigeria’s foremost female journalist, Ms Bunmi Sofola.
The statement read in part, “Regret to announce the passing on of our iconic journalist Peter Enahoro ‘Peter Pan’ today in London at the age of 88. RIP.
“Also known by the pen name ‘Peter Pan’ because of his popular column in New African magazine under that name. He has been described as ‘perhaps Africa’s best-known international journalist.”
Enahoro was a journalist, author, businessman and publisher.
Biography
Born to a family of 10 children, Enahoro attended the prestigious Government College, Ughelli (in present-day Delta State), and was a contemporary of the famous poet and Africa’s first professor of English, JP Clark.
He started media career as an Assistant Publicity Officer, at what is now called Federal Ministry of Information in 1954.
The iconic journalist later joined Daily Times as a sub-editor in 1955, at the age of 20, before moving on to serve as Assistant District Manager at Re-diffusion Services, Ibadan, in 1957.
He became the Editor of the Nigerian Sunday Times in 1958 at 23, and Features Editor of the Daily Times in 1958, then the newspaper’s Editor in 1962, going on to become the Daily Times Group Editorial Adviser in 1965, and in 1966, he became Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Times.
In the 1960s, Mr Enahoro went into a self-imposed exile that would last for 13 years.
He was Contributing Editor of Radio Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany, from 1966 to 1976, and was Africa Editor of National Zeitung, in Basel, Switzerland, becoming Editorial Director of New African magazine in London in 1978.
Book by Enahoro
Famous for having written the book, How to be a Nigerian, the deceased columnist is one of the pioneers of Nigerian journalism and became editor of the Daily Times at a young age.
The book was first published in the 1960s as a series of columns in the Daily Times. It became a bestselling book that was re-published in 1996.
The book was first published in the 1960s as a series of columns in the Daily Times. It became a bestselling book that was re-published in 1996.
Almost six decades later, Enahoro’s brilliant satirical enquiry into identity, nationalism and inventiveness is still the definitive guide.
