Sam Nda-Isaiah, Leadership publisher, dies at 58

The Chairman of Leadership Newspaper Group, Mr Sam Nda-Isaiah, is dead, Daily Trust reports.

It was learnt that he died last night in Abuja after a brief illness.

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There was no immediate statement from the family but credible sources told our correspondent that Mr Nda-Isaiah, 58, took ill on Thursday and was taken to two different hospitals.

“He developed complications and was first taken to the Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja where he received attention from doctors there,” one of the sources said.

“However, when his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada where he died last night,” the source said.

Mr Nda-Isaiah’s last major appearance was at the Tuesday’s Annual General Meeting of Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) held in Lagos. He was hale and hearty at the event and fully participated in the election of new leaders of the association.

Sources said he also had some engagements in Abuja on Wednesday.

Many family friends and acquaintances visited his house last night when the news of his death broke.

“The whole family is in shock over the sudden death of Mr Nda-Isaiah,” an acquaintance, who was at the house, said.

In 2015, the late publisher, columnist, pharmacist, entrepreneur and journalist ran for the presidency under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) but lost to Muhammad Buhari in the primaries.

Born on May 1, 1962, the Minna born entrepreneur founded the Leadership Newspaper Group in 2001.

This was after he became popular through his weekly column in Daily Trust titled ‘Last Word and Earshot’. He also served as member of the Editorial Board of the Daily Trust.

The late publisher attended UNA Elementary School before switching to Christ Church School, Kaduna in 1968. He later went on to study at Federal Government College, Kaduna, from 1974 to 1979.

After graduating, he was admitted to Obafemi Awolowo University and studied pharmaceuticals. He also enrolled in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Nda-Isaiah completed his mandatory year of the National Youth Services Corps at the Ekiti General Hospital and the Ekiti State Hospital in 1984.

The late publisher, famous for his back page cartoon “Ghana Must Go’ in the Leadership newspaper, worked as a pharmacist at the Kano Specialist Hospital before moving to General Hospital, Minna, Niger State. He also worked at Pfizer Products Limited from 1985 to 1989.

He was a member of the Asian think-tank, the Global Institute for Tomorrow in Hong Kong.

In 2019, he was appointed board member of the Baze University.

In his condolence message, the Editor-in-Chief of Media Trust, publishers of Daily Trust titles, Malam Naziru Mikailu, said he was deeply touched.

“This is to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr Nda-Isaiah. We pray God to grant them the fortitude to absorb this shock,” he said.