The Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria has offered condolences to the management of Champion Newspapers over the death of its publisher, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
In a letter to the group managing director of Champion Newspapers, Dr. Nwadiuto Iheakanwa, NPAN expressed sadness over the news on Thursday, of the death of Iwuanyanwu, one of its members.
According to a statement released by Jide Iwuanyanwu on Thursday, his father died on the same day after a brief illness at the age of 82.
President of NPAN, Kabiru Yusuf, who signed the letter, described the late the Ahaejiagmba Ndigbo as a frontline businessman, publisher and an esteemed member of the association.
The letter read, “An engineer by training, Chief Iwunyanwu bestrode the business world leaving an indelible mark in aviation, insurance, road construction, sports and newspapering.
“His venture into the newspaper business with the emergence of Champion Newspapers on October 1, 1988 changed the dynamics of newspapering in the country.”
NPAN said the paper published by Iwuanyanwu pioneered colour printing among Nigerian newspapers and was among the first to set the stage for simultaneous printing, as the paper rolled out from presses in Lagos and Owerri, giving readers in the east the experience of reading the same news with their Lagos/western counterparts.
Chief Iwuanyanwu, the association said, was a sports enthusiast and for a very long time, his football club, Iwuanyanwu Nationale, rode the crest of competitive football locally and challenged for trophies on the continent.
The letter described him as a colossus of no mean repute, adding that his passage had created a deep void in the nation’s socio-development landscape.
The association said it was, however, consoled by the enviable legacies he left as a solid politician, frontline businessman and patriot.
Yusuf said, “On behalf of the executive council of our esteemed association, we commiserate with you and your entire family.
“We pray that the Almighty God will console and uphold each and everyone of you.”
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