AMBASSADOR. CHIEF. DR. PATRICK DELE COLE: A COLOSSUS OF KALABARI PRIDE, POLITICAL SOPHISTICATION AND NIGERIAN PUBLIC LIFE By: Al Humphrey Onyanabo

Tribute to a remarkable gentleman, media titan, diplomat and distinguished son of the Kalabari Kingdom

Some men pass through life quietly, leaving behind memories cherished by a few. Others leave footprints across institutions, political movements, professional circles and cultural communities. Ambassador. Chief. Dr. Patrick Dele Cole belonged to the latter category. He was a man whose presence commanded attention, whose personality defied convention, and whose life reflected a fascinating intersection of Kalabari heritage, Nigerian journalism, diplomacy and high-level political engagement.

With his passing, Nigeria has lost a remarkable personality whose story deserves to be remembered not merely for the offices he occupied, but also for the character, connections and distinctive flair with which he inhabited them. For the Kalabari Kingdom, his departure carries an even deeper significance: it marks another step in the gradual fading of a generation of distinguished sons whose contributions helped shape their community and the wider Nigerian nation.

A Man Who Understood the Power of Presence

Ambassador. Chief. Dr. Patrick Dele Cole was a flamboyant and unmistakable personality. He possessed the kind of confidence that made him memorable in a room, whether among traditional rulers, political leaders, media professionals or members of Nigeria’s social elite.

His flamboyance was part of his public identity, but beneath the outward elegance was a man who understood the importance of influence, relationships and institutional power. He moved comfortably across different worlds, bringing to each the sophistication of someone who had experienced Nigeria from several important vantage points. He always stood out with his big fat Cuban cigar.

He was, in many respects, a bridge between the traditions of an older Nigerian establishment and the evolving realities of a modern nation.

A Distinguished Career in Nigerian Journalism

His contributions to Nigerian journalism remain an important part of his legacy. As Managing Director of the Daily Times, one of the country’s most historically significant newspaper institutions, he occupied a position of considerable responsibility at a time when newspapers played a central role in national debate, political consciousness and the shaping of public opinion.

Leadership in such an institution demanded judgment, an understanding of the national mood and the ability to navigate the delicate relationship between journalism, government and society.

His association with The Guardian, where he served as a director, further connected him to an important chapter in the development of Nigerian journalism. These institutions occupied significant places in the country’s media history, and his involvement in their leadership reflected his standing within the professional and public establishment.

His career reminds us that journalism is more than the production of newspapers. At its best, it is an instrument of national memory, democratic accountability and the contest of ideas.

A Man of Political Connections and Strategic Relationships

Ambassador. Chief. Dr. Patrick Dele Cole also occupied an interesting place in Nigeria’s political history through his close association with the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, one of the country’s influential political strategists and coalition builders.

Yar’Adua understood the importance of ideas, organisation, personal relationships and the cultivation of leaders capable of shaping the national conversation. Those who moved within his circle experienced a period in which political engagement was often built through sustained dialogue, trusted relationships and the search for a broader Nigerian consensus.

Cole’s association with Yar’Adua connected him to that influential political environment and the wider network of personalities who experienced the intrigues, possibilities and challenges of Nigerian political development.

He subsequently served as Senior Special Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, bringing his experience and public-life connections into the presidential environment.

These associations reflected a life lived close to the centres of national decision-making. They also placed him within the continuing story of Nigeria’s struggle to reconcile political ambition, national unity, institutional development and democratic aspirations.

A Distinguished Son of the Kalabari Kingdom

For the Kalabari people, Ambassador. Chief. Dr. Patrick Dele Cole was more than a media executive, diplomat or political personality. He was a distinguished son of a kingdom whose history is inseparable from the development of commerce, maritime enterprise, diplomacy and cultural exchange in the Niger Delta.

The Kalabari have long maintained a proud tradition of engaging the wider world. Through trade, education, enterprise and public service, generations of Kalabari men and women have contributed to the development of Rivers State and Nigeria.

Cole belonged to a generation that carried aspects of this heritage into the national establishment. His life demonstrated that one could remain connected to the cultural identity of one’s people while operating confidently on the larger Nigerian stage.

His flamboyant style, social confidence and distinctive public persona made him recognisable. Yet his deeper significance lies in his professional accomplishments, his place in the national establishment and his contribution to the story of a people whose sons and daughters have consistently reached beyond their immediate environment to engage the wider world.

The Passing of a Generation of Great Kalabari Sons

Ambassador. Chief. Dr. Patrick Dele Cole belonged to a remarkable generation of Kalabari sons whose names became associated with influence, enterprise, public service and distinction. He was of the generation of Chief Tonye Graham-Douglas, Chief Tom Fabian, who is still alive, Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs, Chief A. K. Horsfall and a handful of other eminent personalities who occupied significant positions in their respective fields and helped shape the social, political and economic landscape of their time.

They were men of different temperaments and professional backgrounds, but they shared a common historical experience: they came of age in a period when Kalabari sons established themselves in influential circles, built formidable networks and made their presence felt in the affairs of Rivers State and Nigeria.

With each passing, the ranks of this generation grow thinner. Their departure is not merely the loss of individuals; it is the gradual closing of a chapter in Kalabari history. They represented a generation whose experiences, relationships and accomplishments connected the traditional world of their upbringing to the institutions and power structures of modern Nigeria.

The painful question confronting the present generation is: who will take their place?

The concern is not that younger Kalabari men and women lack talent or ambition. Rather, it is that the accumulated experience, national reach, institutional knowledge and established relationships of an entire generation cannot be replaced overnight. Such qualities are developed over decades, through participation in public life, professional achievement, personal sacrifice and the responsibilities that come with leadership.

A people cannot live forever on the glory of their illustrious past. They must consciously prepare successors who will preserve their heritage, renew their influence and create achievements of their own.

It is therefore not enough to mourn these distinguished sons when they pass away. Their stories must be documented, their contributions properly recorded and their experiences transmitted to younger generations. The histories of their successes, struggles, relationships and service constitute an invaluable inheritance that should not disappear with them.

The passing of Ambassador. Chief. Dr. Patrick Dele Cole is another reminder that an era is gradually drawing to a close. The challenge before the Kalabari Kingdom is to ensure that this transition does not become a permanent vacuum in leadership, enterprise, public service and national influence.

May the memory of this generation inspire the emergence of another, equally committed to excellence, community development and the advancement of the Kalabari people.

Farewell to a Remarkable Gentleman

Today, we bid farewell to Ambassador. Chief. Dr. Patrick Dele Cole: distinguished Kalabari chief, media executive, diplomat, political insider and an unmistakable personality in Nigerian public life.

We remember his leadership at the Daily Times, his association with The Guardian, his relationship with Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and his service in the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. We remember, too, the cultural identity he carried and the individual style that made him stand apart.

His life intersected with important chapters of Nigeria’s national story, while his passing reminds us of the responsibility to preserve the histories of the remarkable men and women who have helped shape the Kalabari Kingdom.

As we mourn him, we also reflect on the gradual departure of a generation whose contributions deserve to be remembered and whose example should challenge those who follow to build institutions, nurture talent and take their rightful place in national life.

Farewell, Ambassador. Chief. Dr. Patrick Dele Cole.

May your journey beyond this world be peaceful. May your memory endure in the history of Nigerian journalism, in the recollections of those who shared your journey, and in the collective memory of the Kalabari people.

May God grant you eternal rest and comfort your family, friends, associates and the entire Kalabari Kingdom at this time of loss.

My one consolation is that finally, he and his bossom buddy, Dr. Stanley Macebuh will hook up on the other side of the divide and continue their jolly life once again.
They excelled… they lived…they rocked – God bless their souls. Amen.

By: Al Humphrey Onyanabo,
The Storyteller,
Tel; 08109975621
Email. nigeria360online@gmail.com