Veteran Journalist, Okoro, Dies At 86

One of Nigeria’s illustrious journalists and Journalism trainer, George ‘Shabazz’ Okoro Nwachukwu, has passed on, aged 86.

Okoro began his journalism career in the early 1960s in the Sunday Times, a rested weekly publication in the old Daily Times Group.

He began as a roving Reporter, and following training in the School of Journalism, London, England, he gradually grew on the job and made fast progress rising through the ranks from Sub-Editor, Features Editor, Lead (Editorial) Writer, Production Editor, and Assistant Editor at the Daily Times.

Okoro later served as Editor and later Editor-in-Chief at the old Imo State Government-owned Statesman newspaper.

He further served as Technical Consultant to several newspapers including the Daily Times, The Punch, and The Champion newspapers and others, while also consulting for latter day Abuja-based newspapers including the LEADERSHIP newspaper and Daily Trust where he finally dropped his pen as an active journalist.

Okoro was mentored by celebrated journalist and writer, Peter Enahoro, a.k.a Peter Pan. As a widely read columnist, critic and essayist, he used the pen name ‘Shabazz’ in his column, which he maintained for over two decades.

He was a top-notch Editorial Writer and an most accomplished trainer of journalists in Nigeria, and such notable journalists like; Tony Momoh, Segun Osoba, Emma Agu, Onyema Ugochukwu, Femi Kusa, Ademola Osinubi, Lade Bonuola, Tunde Thomson and several others passed through his tutelage.

He lectured at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, Lagos; The Daily Times of Nigeria-owned Times Journalism Institute, TJI, Lagos, and the International Institute of Journalism, IIJ, Abuja, owned by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) till 2012.

Okoro is survived by his wife and children. He will be buried on January 4, 2023, according to his son, Mr Okiyi Okoro.