Patrick Dele Cole, who has died aged 86, was a Nigerian newspaperman, diplomat, writer and politician known for his wit, sociability and unwavering patriotism. Friends remember him for his quiet, candid conversations, which he often held in a stone igloo built in the corner of his Lagos living room, out of reach of listening devices. He was dubbed "Citizen Cole" by a journalist friend.
Cole played a foundational part in establishing Nigeria's federal and state institutions after independence from Britain in 1960. He twice helped usher the military back to the barracks and restore civilian rule. In a political field crowded with kleptocrats and ethnic jingoists, he was admired for speaking truth to power, whether privately or in the press. Former head of state Olusegun Obasanjo called him one of the "good Nigerians."
In the 1970s, Cole joined the inner circle of the military cabal in charge and was appointed managing director of the Daily Times, then one of Nigeria's most influential newspapers. He recruited accomplished journalists and shielded them from military pressure, despite repeated threats of jail. Many Nigerian journalists credit his defence of press freedom and professionalism with laying the foundations for the country's vibrant media culture.
Cole also served as a secret envoy during a golden age of Nigerian diplomacy in Africa, when the country led support for southern Africa's liberation movements. Later, Obasanjo sent him to mediate between Tony Blair and Robert Mugabe over broken commitments made at Zimbabwe's independence. Cole, born to a Sierra Leonean civil servant and a mother from Abonnema in the Niger Delta, was educated in Nigeria, New Zealand and Cambridge, where he earned a PhD in history.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing