VETERAN JOURNALIST AND DIPLOMAT DELE COLE DIES AT 86

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By: Muftau Fatimo

Veteran Nigerian journalist and diplomat, Ambassador Dele Cole, has died at the age of 86.

Cole reportedly passed away on the morning of Saturday, October 17, 2026, according to family sources.

He was a former Managing Director of the Daily Times, one of Nigeria’s prominent newspaper organisations, before venturing into diplomatic service, where he represented the country in Argentina and Brazil.

Born on August 4, 1940, in Abonnema, within the Kalabari Kingdom of present-day Rivers State, Cole had an extensive educational background that spanned Nigeria, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

He began his education at St Bartholomew’s School in Enugu, where he studied from 1946 to 1953, before proceeding to Baptist High School in Port Harcourt from 1954 to 1958. He later attended Ibadan Grammar School between 1959 and 1960.

In 1962, Cole travelled to New Zealand to study at the University of Otago in Dunedin, where he remained until 1965.

He subsequently continued his academic pursuits at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom from 1966 to 1970. Between 1970 and 1973, he served as a fellow of King’s College, Cambridge, and earned a doctorate in history.

Cole began his career at the Daily Times as a non-executive director in 1975 before rising to become the organisation’s Managing Director, a position that further established his profile in Nigeria’s media industry.

Beyond journalism, he made significant contributions to public service and international relations. Between 1999 and 2007, he served as Special Adviser on International Relations to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

His diplomatic career also included appointments as Nigeria’s ambassador to Brazil and Argentina, where he represented the country in its international engagements.

Cole was also involved in Nigerian politics during the 1990s, when he was associated with the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

His death marks the end of a career that spanned journalism, academia, public service and diplomacy.