Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has expressed shock over the death of the founding chairman of Daar Communications Plc, High Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi.
The group in a statement signed by its president, Kabiru A. Yusuf, said the nation has lost a great pioneer, a patriot an advocate of good governance and a free press.
Yusuf encouraged Nigerian youth to emulate Dokpesi’s industry, modesty and passion for the people. He said, “It was with great shock that we learnt on Monday, May 29, 2023, of the passage of High Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi, OFR, founding Chairman of the media behemoth, Daar Communications Plc. He was 71.
“Chief Dokpesi, a trained Marine Engineer and politician, pioneered private radio and television broadcasting in the country with the establishment in 1994 of Ray Power, an Fm radio station and the Africa Independent Television (AIT), two years later.
“A seasoned politician, High Chief Dokpesi, held various strategic positions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and acquitted himself.
“Very unassuming and a philanthropist, he touched several lives, while also using the instrumentality of his media platform to give voice to the voiceless.
“While we commiserate with members of the media fraternity, his immediate and political families, on this irreparable loss, we are consoled by the fact that he left behind an enduring legacy of hard work and selflessness.”