The immediate past Chairman/Editor -in- Chief of Owena Press Limited, publishers of The Hope titles, Mr Bode Betiku is dead.
Born on June 3, 1952, he died at the age of 69 during a brief illness.
The Nigerian Monitor gathered that the late veteran journalist was hospitalised few days to his 69th birthday which came up June 3rd.
He spent about three weeks in a private hospital in Ondo City, where he eventually gave up the ghost Saturday morning.
Betiku, popularly known as ‘Hammer Head’ was the pioneer Chairman of the Ondo state owned newspaper, The Hope and Government Printing Press, during the eight years administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
He initially served as Editor of the newspaper between 2003 and 2005, under the late Dr Olusegun Agagu’s government.
The late senior journalist and media administrator, studied Mass Communication at Norfolk State University, VA, United States of America and graduated in 1978.
On his return to Nigeria, he worked with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), The Guardian Newspaper and served as Media Consultant to many organisations before delving into politics during the glorious days of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), where he served as the Ondo state Publicity Secretary of the party.
Uncle B, as he was fondly called by some of his admirers, also authored many books including Hammer Head, The Old Shoes and Adigbonranku.
The remains of the media guru, who hailed from the famous Akunnara Family of Ode-Ondo, was said to have been deposited at a morgue in the town, as sympathisers have started thronging his residence to condole with the widow and children he left behind.
