Obasanjo’s ex-media aide, Remi Oyo is Dead

The former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Oluremi Oyo, is dead. She died yesterday afternoon at a London hospital at the age of 62. Official statement on the news of her dead is expected later today. Oluremi Oyo is survived by her husband, children and grandchildren Oyo was a Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the first female president of the Guild, she also served as the Senior Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo for Media and Publicity. She began her career as a cub reporter in the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (now Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria,) rising to the position of Principal Editor before moving to the News Agency of Nigeria where she served as Editor and Pioneer Head of the quality control desk. The late journalist worked for more than a decade as Nigeria Bureau chief, for the Inter Press Service Global News Agency, ranked as one of the top 10 news agencies in the world. Oluremi served from 2003 as the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo. She was the first woman to be appointed to such a position. After four years of distinguished service, Oyo was appointed in 2007 as the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria where she has led a massive service delivery improvement initiative to bring the Agency into the digital age. Oluremi Oyo was a fellow and was the first female president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. She was also a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria. She received many awards including a 2006 National award of Officer of the Niger Award, OON and she was a Dame of Saint Gregory the Great, a knighthood bestowed on her by Pope Benedict the 16th for her tireless work in supporting the education of girls especially in her Alma Mater, St Louis Secondary School, Kano.