Veteran Journalist and Newswatch Co-Founder Yakubu Mohammed Passes Away

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Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed, one of the co-founders of Newswatch magazine, has reportedly passed away, Naija News confirms.

His death comes less than two months after the passing of fellow co-founder Dan Agbese on November 17, 2025. Multiple sources confirmed the news to The Eagle Online, where Managing Editor and CEO Dotun Oladipo also previously worked.

Earlier, Mohammed had launched his memoir, Beyond Expectations, on November 4, 2025. He had reportedly been battling an illness for some time. An official statement from his family was still awaited at the time of reporting.

Born on April 4, 1950, in Ologba, Dekina, Kogi State, Mohammed earned a B.Sc degree and attended St. Joseph’s Primary School, Ayangba (1964), Government Secondary School, Okene (1965–69), University of Lagos (1972–75), and Glasgow College of Technology, Scotland (1978–79).

Mohammed enjoyed a distinguished career in journalism, serving as Associate Editor at New Nigerian Newspapers (1976–80), Managing Editor of New Nigerian Newspapers (January–December 1980), Deputy Editor of National Concord (1980–82), and Editor of National Concord (1982–84).

He later became Co-founder and Executive Editor of Newswatch Magazine (1984–86), Managing Editor of Newswatch (1986–94), and Deputy CEO of Newswatch Communications Limited from 1994 onward. He also served as a Director at Yadara Nigeria Limited and Lastop Limited.

Mohammed was an active member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Commonwealth Journalists’ Association (CJA), and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE). He also held the position of Pro-Chancellor/Chancellor of the Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Kaduna State.

Outside of his professional work, Mohammed enjoyed playing tennis, dancing, listening to music, and watching movies.