Ray Ekpu Reflects on Dele Giwa's Impact on Journalism Aspirations

Ray Ekpu, a veteran journalist and co-founder of Newswatch magazine, recounted the profound impact of Dele Giwa's assassination on his son’s dreams of becoming a journalist. This revelation came during the presentation of the book ‘Dele Giwa’s Granite Journalism’ at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in Lagos.

Giwa, the founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch, was killed on October 19, 1986, by a parcel bomb at his home in Ikeja, Lagos, during the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida. Ekpu shared that his five-year-old son had expressed a desire to follow in Giwa's footsteps but changed his mind shortly after the assassination, fearing for his safety.

Ekpu lamented that, four decades later, efforts to seek justice for Giwa have been unsuccessful, despite years of collaboration with their lawyer, the late Gani Fawehinmi. He expressed a sense of resignation, stating that they must leave the matter to divine justice.