Lekan Alabi, Veteran Journalist and Abese Olubadan, Dies at 76

Veteran journalist, public‑relations expert and traditional chief Lekan Alabi died on Saturday morning in Lagos at the age of 76. He held the title Abese Olubadan of Ibadanland and had served as press secretary to four successive Oyo State governors. The family said he will be buried on Sunday in Ibadan according to Islamic rites.

President Bola Tinubu, the Olubadan of Ibadanland Oba Rashidi Ladoja, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and other officials issued condolence messages, describing his death as a monumental loss to journalism, public‑relations and Yoruba culture. The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Oyo Chapter also mourned him, noting the impact on the profession ahead of a planned World Public Relations Forum in Abuja.

Alabi’s career spanned work with the Nigerian Television Authority, the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, Odu’a Investment Company and Sketch Publishing. He authored several books, served as Cultural Ambassador of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments in Ile‑Ife, and was widely respected for promoting Ibadan customs and traditions.