Veteran journalist, Eagle Online publisher Dotun Oladipo, dies at 56

Veteran Nigerian journalist and publisher of The Eagle Online, Dotun Oladipo, has died at the age of 56.

Mr Oladipo died on Tuesday, 25 August, after he suddenly took ill in his office in Lagos, according to The Eagle Online.

The circumstances surrounding his death were still emerging on Wednesday.

His death was confirmed by the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), which he previously led as president.

Danlami Nmodu, the current president of GOCOP, announced the death on the guild’s platform on Tuesday night, The Cable reported.

“It has just been confirmed that Emeritus President, Mr Dotun Oladipo, died today. May his soul rest in peace. Amen,” Mr Nmodu said.

Mr Oladipo was the founder and publisher of The Eagle Online and the chief executive officer of Premium Eagle Media Limited.

He was also the pioneer president of the Innovative Media Partners Cooperative Multipurpose Society (IMPCMS), an organisation established to promote collaboration and professional development among media practitioners.

From newspaper newsroom to digital publishing

Mr Oladipo built his career across Nigeria’s traditional and digital media industries.

He worked with several major Nigerian newspapers, including Nigerian Tribune, Nigerian Compass, The Sun and PUNCH Newspapers.

At PUNCH, he served as Politics Editor, a position that placed him at the centre of the newspaper’s coverage of Nigerian politics. A recent PUNCH retrospective also identified him as having occupied the position during his years at the newspaper.

He later moved into digital publishing, establishing The Eagle Online and becoming its publisher and managing editor.

His professional profile described him as an investigative journalist with a strong interest in news, analysis and thorough reporting. His work appeared across several Nigerian media platforms during a career spanning almost three decades.

The Eagle Online became his most enduring professional project, allowing him to combine newsroom experience with the emerging possibilities of internet journalism.

The publication was still active on Tuesday, with stories published under its banner on politics, business, crime, sports and other issues before news of its publisher’s death emerged