Veteran journalist, Nnamnso Umoren, dies at 68

A veteran journalist in Akwa Ibom State, Nnamnso Umoren, is dead.

Mr Umoren, 68, passed on in Uyo, November 14, his family said in a statement issued on Sunday.

The late Mr Umoren distinguished himself as a journalist, speechwriter to several governors and was a life coach.

He was the editor of the state-owned The Pioneer newspaper, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Akwa Ibom State, and a spokesperson for the first civilian governor of Akwa Ibom State, late Akpan Isemin.

He was also a member of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations.

He was a permanent secretary in the Akwa Ibom State civil service and served in four ministries, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Ministry of Information.

“The late Umoren trained and practised as a journalist beginning from the Nigerian Chronicle in Calabar, before joining the defunct Concord newspaper as editor of the Community Concord in Cross River and later, Akwa Ibom State.

“He was also a staff(er) of the African Concord magazine,” the family said in a statement signed by Umoren Umoren.

“In addition to attending the Polytechnic Calabar where he studied Mass Communication, Elder Umoren also did a degree programme in Communication Arts at the University of Uyo. He attended several professional courses and training in the United States of America, Israel, United Kingdom, and some African countries.

“In his later years, he operated as the Chief Executive Officer of Talent Business School.”

His burial is fixed for March 5, with a lying-in-state at the NUJ Press Centre, Uyo, on the same day, the family said.