Anonymous
Dele Giwa, was a Nigerian journalist and co-founder of Newswatch magazine, tragically died in 1986 when he received a letter bomb. His death remains a mystery and marked a dark moment in Nigerian history.
Sumonu Oladele “Baines” Giwa was born on March 16, 1947, to Musa and Ayi Elekia Giwa in Ile-Ife, Osun State. His father worked as a laundryman at the Ooni of Ife’s palace, while his mother sold small items to support the family. As the oldest of six children, Dele was protective of his siblings, especially after losing a younger sister at birth.
At age three, Dele started his education at a Koranic school and later attended Ansar-Udeen Primary School in Ile-Ife. He juggled both Islamic and formal education. In 1964, he joined Oduduwa College, where his father worked. Dele was known for his brilliance, particularly in English and literature. He also became the editor of the school newsletter, The Torch, which showed his early interest in journalism.
After school, he worked at Union Bank and Nigeria Tobacco Company before joining the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, where his dream of becoming a journalist grew stronger.
Dele Giwa moved to the U.S. in 1971 to study at Brooklyn College, New York. Financial struggles forced him to drop out for a while, but he later returned after securing a job at Chase Manhattan Bank. He eventually graduated and pursued a master’s degree in Public Communication at Fordham University.
While studying, Giwa joined The New York Times after impressing an editor during a conversation about a grammatical error. He worked there for over four years, gaining experience that would later shape his career in Nigeria.
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In 1979, Giwa returned to Nigeria to work as the features editor of Daily Times on the invitation of Dr. Patrick Dele Cole. He later moved to Sunday Concord as the editor, where he gained a reputation for his bold and outspoken columns. His writing often criticized government officials, which led to multiple arrests.
In 1984, Giwa, along with Ray Ekpu, Dan Agbese, and Yakubu Mohammed, founded Newswatch, a groundbreaking news magazine. The first edition was published in January 1985, and Giwa served as editor-in-chief, personally overseeing all major stories.
Dele Giwa had his first child, Billy, while still a student at Oduduwa College. He married three times. His first wife, Ann, was an African-American nurse with whom he had two sons, Dele Jr. and Tunde. After returning to Nigeria, he married Florence Ita, though their marriage lasted only ten months. His third wife, Olufunmilayo Olaniyan, whom he married in 1984, gave birth to their daughter, Aisha, in 1985.
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Dele Giwa faced threats in the days leading to his death. On October 19, 1986, while working at home with colleague Kayode Soyinka, he received a package labeled as confidential from the Commander-in-Chief. The package contained a bomb, which exploded when Giwa opened it. He was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries.
The investigation into his death yielded no solid results, and his killers were never found. His death remains a painful memory in Nigerian history, and Newswatch struggled after his passing.
Despite his tragic end, Dele Giwa’s impact on journalism in Nigeria endures.
