Malam Wada Maida
By Our Reporter
Who is Who in the northern media circle have continued to pay tributes to the publisher of Peoples Daily Newspaper and chairman, Board of Directors of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Wada Maida,
Maida who slumped and died on a chair while at home at about 8pm Monday was said to be hale and hearty until he breathed his last.
A member of his family, Lawal Sale Maida confirmed Maida’s demise, He was aged 70.
Maida’s last days were quite interesting as he was said to have attended to office matters in Abuja after returning from Katsina where he had gone to visit his family.
. He signed checks for his newspaper People’s Daily and didn’t betray any sign of illness.
When Maida slumped, his family thought he was sleeping. By the time they found out otherwise, it was already too late. He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors certified him dead on arrival..
Maida, former Editor-in-Chief and later Managing Director of NAN, was one of the pioneer editors of the agency and served as various times as its Regional Editor in Kaduna, Political Editor and London Correspondent.
He was Chief Press Secretary to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari when he became military Head of State on 1 January 1984.
After the Babangida coup in July 1985, Maida returned to NAN to become its Editor-in-Chief for eight years.
Maida, from Katsina State, was appointed NAN Managing Director in 1994 and served in that capacity for nine years before he bowed out in 2003.
Until his death, he was a member of the Executive Board of the International Press Institute and also a shareholder of Media Trust Limited.
