Renowned Mass Communication don, Lai Oso, dies in auto crash

…He made scholars out of others —ACSPN

By Adesina Wahab

A renowned Professor of Mass Communication, Lai Oso, on Saturday evening, died in a car accident along the Sagamu-Ore Expressway.

Oso was, until his death, a lecturer at the Lagos State University, LASU.

Before then, he had lectured for many years at the then-Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta, which is now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic where he rose to become the Head of the Department of Mass Communication.

It was gathered that he was on his way to the Delta State University, DELSU, Abraka where he was an external examiner when he met his death.

Two of his former students, Idris Mohammed and Wasiu Tejuoso,  who confirmed the incident, said his car reportedly plunged into a river.

He made scholars out of others—ACSPN

Reacting to the death of Prof. Oso, the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria, ACSPN, and the Vice Chancellor of Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, Prof. Umaru Pate described his death as a monumental loss to the Nigerian and global mass communication and journalism community.

In a statement, General Secretary of ACSPN Prof. Nosa Owens-Ibie, said: “Under his tenure the Association began the process by producing in collaboration with UNESCO and other stakeholders, the first draft of what has now been launched as the Unbundled Mass Communication curriculum, following a curriculum development workshop for communication and journalism courses in November 2015.

“He was a scholar who helped to make scholars out of others through knowledge building, scholarly articles and book publications, and it was also under him that ACSPN commenced many niche programmes.”