It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Mr. Tunde Akingbade, one of Nigeria’s foremost environmental journalists, author, environmental communication expert and lecturer, who died on Monday, July 27, 2026.
He was born on March 4, 1959.
Mr. Akingbade devoted more than four decades to environmental journalism, becoming one of Nigeria’s pioneering voices on climate change, pollution, conservation, environmental justice, and sustainable development.
Beginning his journalism career in 1984, he worked with several respected media organisations, including The Guardian, The Guardian on Sunday, African Concord, Sketch Press, and African Science Monitor, before becoming a renowned freelance environmental correspondent.
His exceptional reporting earned him international recognition, including a Highly Commended Environmental Journalist Award at the 2012 CNN/MultiChoice African Journalist Awards for his investigative reporting on environmental issues.
His work brought global attention to subjects such as electronic waste, coastal erosion, climate change and the environmental implications of the Eko Atlantic City project.
He also found Mr. Environment on RayPower Radio, featuring on Saturdays for several years before it was rested.
Beyond the newsroom, Mr. Akingbade was an accomplished author and educator. His landmark book, Nigeria on the Trail of the Environment: Including Environmental Inequity in Sub-Saharan Africa, remains a valuable contribution to environmental literature, chronicling Nigeria’s environmental history and policy evolution.
As a lecturer and mentor, he inspired generations of journalists and environmental communicators through his teaching, writing and advocacy.
Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Akingbade championed evidence-based environmental reporting, helping to elevate environmental journalism from a niche beat to a critical component of public discourse in Nigeria and across Africa.
In 2013, he suddenly fell ill to an undisclosed ailment which left him to become a ghost of his old self.
He was then confined to his elder sister’s house in Akure, Ondo State, where he received care till his death.
Along the line, a few family and friends also supported his welfare with Monthly Allowance from year 2019 to 2026.
Last Thursday, he deeply expressed appreciation via chat messages which is now taken as a premonition of his untimely demise.
His Boss, Chief Otunba Femi Oduntan was reported to have taken him to the hospital when the illness started in July, 2013.
He was also reported to have taken charge of his hospital bills before family members got on the situation.
His death is being described as a significant loss to the journalism profession, academia, the environmental community and all who believe in the power of journalism to promote sustainable development and accountability.
He leaves behind an enduring legacy of courage, integrity, scholarship and unwavering commitment to protecting both humanity and the environment.
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
His remains has been deposited in the hospital mortuary.
However, the family is pleading for privacy to grief and mourn their loss.
Burial announcements will be communicated later by the family.
May his soul rest in perfect peace.
*Announcer:
Mrs Olubunmi Bamidele Akingbade-Olofin,
Only surviving elder sister.
