The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the umbrella professional body of editors in Nigeria’s print, online and electronic media, has admitted Dr Tunde Olusunle, a distinguished journalist, poet, author, administrator and literary scholar, into its prestigious College of Fellows.
The approval of the Fellowship was conveyed to Olusunle in a letter dated September 8, 2026 and signed by the Guild’s Secretary General, Onuoha Ukeh. The letter stated that the Standing Committee of the Guild had approved his elevation to the rank of Fellow.
According to the Guild, Olusunle will be formally inducted on September 26, 2026, in Enugu, during the Gala Night/Farewell Dinner marking the conclusion of the 22nd All Nigeria Editors’ Conference.
The Guild congratulated Olusunle on what it described as a well-deserved professional honour and wished him continued success in his career and public engagements.
The Fellowship represents another significant recognition of a career that has straddled journalism, public communication, scholarship and the literary arts for more than three decades.
Olusunle began his journalism career in 1990 after an earlier stint as a teacher of English and Literature in schools in present-day Kogi and Kwara states. He subsequently joined the Daily Times newspaper group in Lagos, where he rose through the ranks and served on the editorial board of the once influential newspaper. He also had a significant career in public communication, including service as Director of Press Affairs/Chief Press Secretary to successive administrations in Kogi State. He later served as a media aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, including as one of his principal aides between 1999 and 2007.
An accomplished scholar and writer, Olusunle holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Literature from the University of Ilorin, as well as a doctorate in Media Arts from the University of Abuja. He has combined his professional media practice with sustained engagement in literary scholarship, criticism, creative writing and public intellectual discourse.
As a poet, he is the author of Fingermarks (1996), Rhythm of the Mortar (2001) and A Medley of Echoes (2022). His nonfiction publications include On the Trail of History: A Reporter’s Notebook on Olusegun Obasanjo (2006), Atiku: Perspectives on a Phenomenon (2023), as well as Orisirisi: Vistas on Contemporary Politics in Nigeria and Toasts, Tributes and Wreaths, both published in 2024. He has also produced substantial scholarly and critical work on Nigerian literature, journalism and public life.
Olusunle was admitted as a Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) in 2023, adding the writers’ body’s distinction to a career already marked by significant contributions to journalism and the literary arts.
He has also been described by fellow writers and commentators as a public intellectual whose work has consistently occupied the intersection of literature, journalism, politics and national discourse. His writings have appeared in major Nigerian newspapers and journals, while his scholarly interests include Nigerian literature, media history, political communication and the evolution of journalism in the country.
With his elevation, Olusunle joins the ranks of distinguished media practitioners and public figures who hold the NGE Fellowship, including Pa Sam Amuka-Pemu, FNGE, publisher of Vanguard Newspapers; Akinrogun Olusegun Osoba, FNGE, CFR, former Governor of Ogun State; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, FNGE, CON, pioneer Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Chief Ray Ekpu, FNGE, co-founder of Newswatch magazine; and Mr Nduka Obaigbena, FNGE, CON, proprietor of ThisDay Newspapers and Arise Television, among other eminent Fellows.
The NGE Fellowship therefore adds another important professional laurel to Olusunle’s longstanding contributions to Nigerian journalism, literature, scholarship and public communication.