HealthLead StoryLocalNews
Online Publishers’ Guild mourns former President, Dotun Oladipo; How the gentle giant died
The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) has expressed sadness over the death of its former President, Dotun Oladipo, publisher of The Eagle Online.
Oladipo died on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at the age of 56.
He was President of GOCOP from 2017 to 2021 and was one of the publishers who helped shape the Guild in its early years.
His death is a loss to GOCOP and the wider Nigerian media community.
Oladipo came into online publishing with years of experience in the traditional media. He had worked as a journalist and editor before moving into digital publishing and bringing that experience to The Eagle Online.
At a time when online news publishing was still developing in Nigeria, he was among those who saw the need for publishers to come together, share ideas and build a stronger professional community.
That was also the period when GOCOP was growing from an association of online publishers into an organisation with a clear identity and a growing presence in the Nigerian media industry.
As President between 2017 and 2021, Oladipo devoted considerable time to the affairs of the Guild. He represented GOCOP at different engagements and worked with members as the organisation dealt with the opportunities and challenges that came with the rapid growth of online publishing.
GOCOP President, Danlami Nmodu, said Oladipo’s death was painful for the Guild.
“Dotun played an important role in the development of GOCOP. He led the Guild for four years at a time when there was still a lot of work to be done to establish online publishers as an important part of the media. His contribution will always be remembered,” Nmodu said.
He said Oladipo brought his experience as a journalist and publisher to the leadership of the Guild.
“Dotun understood journalism and he understood the business of publishing. He was passionate about the place of online media in Nigeria and he gave his time to the growth of the Guild. We are saddened by his passing,” Nmodu said.
Oladipo’s involvement in journalism began long before the emergence of online publishing as a major source of news in Nigeria. His career in the mainstream media gave him a grounding in reporting, editing and newsroom management.
He later became publisher of The Eagle Online, joining a group of journalists and publishers who moved into the digital space as the internet changed the way Nigerians received and shared news.
His years in GOCOP coincided with a period of rapid growth in online publishing. More news platforms were emerging, social media was changing the way stories reached readers, and online publishers were becoming increasingly important to the Nigerian media industry.
GOCOP said Oladipo’s contribution should be seen against this background.
The Guild also remembered him as a colleague who maintained relationships with publishers across the country and took an active interest in the affairs of the organisation even after leaving office.
GOCOP extended its condolences to Oladipo’s family, the management and staff of The Eagle Online, and his friends and colleagues in the media industry.
The Guild said it would work with his family and associates on plans to honour his memory.
Meanwhile, a close associate, professional colleague and bosom friend of the veteran journalist, has narrated how he passed on to glory. According to colleague, Dotun and his wife went to the gym Tuesday morning, got back home in Greenfield Estate, OPIC, Isheri, he took his birth and headed to the office where he worked for about three hours before he started feeling funny.
The colleague and friend said further that at that point, he got up, got in his car and set out for the hospital, driving himself. Somewhere close to the hospital, the funny feeling intensified and he pulled up by the roadside and got a passerby to call his doctor.
He said the doctor, based on the urgency of the summons, got on an Okada (commercial motorcycle) to be able to beat traffic and get the distressed journalist on time, but that by the time he (the doctor) got to Dotun in his car, hope was lost.
Dotun was referred to by a few close colleagues as the gentle giant, and his longtime associate, professional colleague and friend, who spoke to GPNEWS said with great pain in his voice, that the cause of his friend and brother’s death must have been cardiac arrest.
