By Evelyn Okakwu
Information Minister, Labaran Maku has condoled the management and staff of the Sun Publishing Limited, over the death of their Deputy Chairman, Mr. Dimgba Igwe.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Joseph Mutah, stated that the Minister was deeply saddened over the way Mr. Igwe lost his life in an accident caused by a hit-and-run driver in Lagos.
According to the statement, Maku described the death of Mr. Igwe as a huge loss not only to the pen profession but also to the nation at large, adding that the late Deputy Chairman was a consummate journalist, a columnist, an author and a public commentator on national issues who acquainted himself satisfactorily as a professional by upholding the tenets of the journalism profession.
Similarly, the Newspapers Proprietors of Nigeria (NPAN) has condoled the management and staff of the Sun Publishing Ltd, over the death of Mr. Igwe.
In a press release issued yesterday, NPAN stated that: “We learnt with great shock, the sudden passing, in the morning, of Saturday, December 6, of Dimgba Igwe, journalist / adminis¬trator, and Vice-Chairman of your esteemed publication, The Sun Group of newspapers.
“The circumstances of his death is devastating, and confirms how cheap life has really become in our dear country.
“How do we explain that Dimgba was knocked down by a hit-and-run reckless driver as he jogged around his neighbourhood, in the Okota area of Lagos. His cheap death has exposed our incompetence as a country, and the sorry state of our health sector. Where were police¬ men around that stretch?” it queried.
“There were no street cameras, in spite of the millions of Naira allegedly spent on the project. 48 hours after this numbing death, there is still no clue as to the make of car, and/or the plate number.
“The first two hospitals Dimgba was rushed to couldn’t handle his situation. It was after he had painfully bled for hours that he was taken to an averagely competent hospital, by which time he had lost so much blood and was unable to survive the surgery carried out on him. The hours between the time of the incident and the surgery, were very crucial to his survivaL Unfortunately, they were wasted. And he died.
“A versatile journalist with a career spanning over 30 years, most of which were in the critical period of the Nigeria Media history, the late Dimgba Igwe was to define tabloid journalism in the country, alongside his professional ‘Siamese twin’, Mike Awoyinfa. Both mid¬-wifed and nurtured the defunct Weekend Concord, and later, The Sun newspapers to the colossus that it is today.
“He will also be remembered for his informed commentary, through his regular column, where he canvassed for a better Nigeria, a society built on equality and justice.
The association prayed that God grants his family, the Board, management and staff of The Sun newspapers, the fortitude to bear the loss.
“While we empathise with you and The Sun Group on this great loss, we should quickly add that this is our collective loss.
“We, also, strongly urge the Police and other security agencies to quickly appre¬hend the reckless driver that threw us into this darkness”, it stated.
