The Chairman and publisher of
LEADERSHIP Newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah, is dead, his family has announced.
Mr Nda-Isaiah’s newspaper,
LEADERSHIP, in a report Saturday morning, quoted his family as saying, “We are
deeply saddened to announce the news of the passing of the chairman of
LEADERSHIP Group/National Economy, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah.
“He died in Abuja on Friday
night, after a brief illness. Nda-Isaiah was a family man, a serial
entrepreneur and visioner, and a passionate politician. He was, above all, a
man of faith. Even in this moment of grief, we know he is in a better place.”
LEADERSHIP went on to profile its late publisher as follows:
Nda-Isaiah was a pharmacist, but
he made his mark as a newspaperman, with three dailies, including the flagship
and Nigeria’s most influential newspaper, LEADERSHIP, in his stable.
He was also a serial entrepreneur
with a portfolio of thriving businesses and a founding member of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) on whose platform he contested for presidential
ticket in 2014.
Nda-Isaiah, a bridge-builder and
champion of Big Ideas, a number of which he vigorously canvassed, also held the
traditional title of Kakaki Nupe, the spokesperson of the Nupe people.
He was a promoter of Nigeria’s
unity and an outstanding student of history and global politics.
His last major outing was on
Thursday, December 10, when he inaugurated the Board of Economists of NATIONAL
ECONOMY Media Limited, a subsidiary of the LEADERSHIP Group.
Nda-Isaiah was born in Minna,
capital of Niger State on May 1, 1962. He attended the UNA Elementary School
before switching over to the Christ Church School, Kaduna in 1968 to complete
his primary school education.
He attended the Federal
Government College, Kaduna, from 1974 to 1979. He later studied Pharmacy at the
Obafemi Awolowo University and did his National Youth Service Corps programme
at the Ekiti State General Hospital in 1984.
Nda-Isaiah, fondly called “Sam”,
is an alumnus of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National
University of Singapore.
Nda-Isaiah began his working
career as a pharmacist at the Kano Specialist Hospital before he moved to the
General Hospital, Minna. He worked at Pfizer Products Limited from 1985 to
1989.
A passionate newspaperman and
pundit, his column, “Last Word” with a footnote, “Earshot”, was a must read. He
started the column as special writer and editorial board member of Daily Trust,
before he founded LEADERSHIP with proceeds from the launch of a collection of
some of his finest articles in 2001. Before LEADERSHIP became a full-fledged newspaper,
Nda-Isaiah started with, LEADERSHIP CONFIDENTIAL, a newsletter that was of
tremendous value and insights, especially among diplomats, top politicians and
business owners.
Sam demonstrated exceptional
courage through his write-ups, a quality that popularised the newspaper and
often put him at odds with government, especially under former Presidents Umaru
Musa Yar’Adua and Olusegun Obasanjo.
As a result of his contributions
to the media industry, Nda-Isaiah was called to serve as a committee member in
the Kano State government to revive The Triumph Newspapers owned by the state
government. In 2003, he was in charge of President Muhammadu Buhari’s
presidential campaign publicity.
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, Abuja.
In 2015, Nda-Isaiah ran for the
country’s presidency, contesting in the primaries of the All Progressives
Congress (APC), with the campaign slogan, Big Ideas. He however lost in the
keenly contested primaries.
He held the title of Kakaki Nupe
conferred on him by the current Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar. He was also
conferred with a chieftaincy title, Aare Baaroyin of Akure Kingdom, by Oba
Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, Odundun.
A very hard-working personality
in all he sought to do, he was fully committed to ideals which he believed in.
He was a great patriot who believed in the unity of Nigeria.
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