Veteran journalist and communication scholar, Idowu Akanbi Sobowale, has died at the age of 85.
Sobowale died on Thursday, October 8, 2026, according to a statement issued by a member of his family, Akinniyi Sowunmi.
The family described his death as a significant loss to Nigeria’s communication and journalism community, particularly members of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals in Nigeria.
“This is a very sad day for us in the Communication Community in Nigeria and especially for us at the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals in Nigeria. Our father, Pa Deacon Professor Idowu Akanbi Sobowale, OON, 85, joined the saints triumphant this morning, October 8, 2026,” the statement reads.
The family added that information on his funeral arrangements would be made public at a later date.
Sobowale had a long career spanning journalism and academia. He was a former lecturer at the University of Lagos, where he taught communication research, with a focus on research methods as well as the collection and analysis of data.
He later joined Lagos State University as a professor of journalism and became the pioneer dean of the institution’s School of Communication, a position he held from 2004 to 2007.
The late academic was widely associated with the development of precision journalism and opinion polling in Nigeria. Following his return from Syracuse University in the United States, where he obtained a PhD in 1978, he established a public opinion polling desk at The Punch.
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His work contributed to the use of research and data in Nigerian journalism, helping to strengthen the role of evidence-based reporting and public opinion analysis in the profession.
Beyond journalism and academia, Sobowale also played a role in public administration in Lagos State.
He served as Special Adviser on Education during the administration of the late Governor Lateef Jakande before later becoming Commissioner for Education under the administration of Bola Tinubu between 1999 and 2003.
In recognition of his contributions to national development, Sobowale was awarded the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 2006.
His death has been described by members of the communication community as a major loss to a field in which he spent decades as a journalist, educator, researcher and public servant.