By Sarah NEGEDU
The Abuja Bureau Chief of the Nigerian Tribune, Dr. Leon Usigbe, was on Saturday laid to rest in Karshi, Abuja, with colleagues, family and dignitaries paying glowing tributes to a journalist many described as one of the finest of his generation.
The late Usigbe, who died on July 25 after a brief illness, was remembered for his courage even in his final days. In a message to his parish priest shortly before his passing, he wrote, “Please Father, don’t worry about me, I have lived a good life.”
At the requiem mass held at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Karshi, Rev. Fr. David Osagie Akahomhen praised Usigbe’s devotion to family, church and profession, noting that he lived a life of impact. The priest urged colleagues and friends not to abandon his family following his burial.
The Presidency was represented at the service by the Senior Special Assistant to the President in the office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha.
Nkwocha, who conveyed the condolences of the Presidential media team described Usigbe as “a journalist of high standards whose passing left grappling emotions.”
Other tributes came from Fred Ituah, Chief Press Secretary to the Edo State Governor said “Dr. Leon was a brother, “a kinsman and somebody most of us looked onto in journalism. Though his death is shocking, we will continue to make him proud.”
Speaking on behalf of the family, daughter of the deceased, Osose Usigbe, thanked relatives, colleagues and church members for standing by them. “Though our hearts are heavy, we are consoled that our father lived a life of impact,” she said.
Born on March 13, 1967, Usigbe began his journalism career with Concord Newspaper during his NYSC in 1988. He later worked with Vanguard Newspaper before joining the Nigerian Tribune where he rose to become the Abuja Bureau Chief in 2021.
Leon Usigbe also served as Special Assistant (Media) to then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari, between 2003 and 2007.
A PhD holder in Media Arts from the University of Abuja, Usigbe was widely respected for his incisive political reporting. He is survived by his wife of over three decades, Dorothy, and four children, Ivy, Leroy, Valerie and Jordan.
