Veteran journalist Ray Ekpu delivered a heartfelt tribute to his late colleague and Newswatch co-founder, Chief Dan Agbese, on behalf of Newswatch Communications Limited during a celebration of life ceremony held on Monday, December 15, 2025, at Whitestone Event Place in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos.

The event brought together journalists, public officials, writers, and admirers to honour Agbese, who passed away on November 17, 2025, at the age of 81 following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Chief Rose Agbese, six children (including a professor of Mass Communication), and seven grandchildren.

In his tribute, Ekpu described the deep interconnectedness among Newswatch’s four original founders—Dele Giwa, Yakubu Mohammed, Dan Agbese, and himself—likening it to a “cobweb” forged through shared education at the University of Lagos in the 1970s, professional experiences, and a bold decision to launch an independent publication in 1985.

“We moved fiercely from being friends to being founders,” Ekpu recounted, detailing how the trio of Mohammed, Giwa, and himself secured initial funding in London before Agbese wisely suggested naming the company Newswatch Communications Limited to align with the magazine’s title.

Ekpu highlighted the foundational principles that sustained their 27-year partnership: appointing Giwa and Agbese as leaders to affirm their value, equal salaries and allowances for all founders, mandatory column writing, and democratic decision-making through voting, with a casting vote to break ties.

He praised the group’s diversity—spanning different ethnic groups and religions (three Christians and one Muslim)—as a strength that prevented bigotry and fostered harmony. “These attributes increased the acreage of our understanding of each other and limited areas of our disagreement,” Ekpu said.

Ekpu portrayed Agbese as a humble royal who never flaunted his heritage, a calm and decent leader despite being the oldest and most experienced, and a mentor who encouraged clear, reader-friendly writing without grandiloquence or sensationalism.

“Dan’s journalism was admirably simple and simply admirable,” Ekpu noted, emphasising Agbese’s rejection of “guerrilla journalism” and insistence on fact-checking, including Newswatch’s “three-source rule” for major stories.

The tribute also recalled Newswatch’s innovative practices, such as democratised cover story selection, staff performance assessments based on published work, and the introduction of “Preface to Cover”—philosophical essays Ekpu pioneered—as appetisers to main features.

Ekpu commended Agbese’s courage during military rule, when Newswatch faced proscription, detentions, frozen accounts, and trials—including a mutiny charge alongside Ekpu and Mohammed—yet remained committed to credible, investigative journalism.

Reflecting on their enduring friendship, Ekpu said disagreements were resolved swiftly, often within a day, and continued post-retirement in 2011 through a new writing venture. “We are an orchestra: start together and finish together.”

In conclusion, Ekpu urged the family to “rejoice and celebrate” Agbese’s illustrious legacy as a nationalist, patriot, author of several books (one a university text), and iconic columnist whose style is studied in Nigerian institutions. He outlived Nigeria’s average life expectancy of 56 by 25 years and left a profound impact.

Ekpu called on journalists to support the newly approved Code of Ethics and Ombudsman structure by bodies like the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria and Nigerian Guild of Editors as the “best tribute” to Agbese amid challenges from AI and social media.

“My brother Dan, goodbye,” Ekpu closed.

The event featured opening remarks by former Ogun State Governor Chief Olusegun Osoba, who praised Agbese’s character, and tributes echoing themes of integrity, simplicity, and mentorship. President Bola Tinubu and others had earlier mourned Agbese as an “institution” in Nigerian journalism.