Veteran sports journalist and broadcaster, Fabio Olanikpekun, is dead.
He died on Sunday, four days after his 80th birthday anniversary.
The distinguished and revered broadcaster breathed his last a week after another iconic sports journalist, Sunny Emmanuel Ojeagbese, died in the United States of America.
He was born as Adesola Olanipekun, but was said to have adopted the name Fabio from a novel he read while he was a student at the Methodist Boys High School in Lagos.
Ogun State gubernatorial aspirant, Modele Sharafa-Yusuf, who worked closely with the deceased at Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), joined several others to extol his virtues and prayed for the repose of his soul.
Sharafa-Yusuf wrote her o Facebook page: "I mourn the death of my former boss and mentor, the legendary Fabio Lanipekun.
"He passed on today - 4 days after his 80th birthday.
"A cerebral, hard-working & no nonsense boss, Fabio encouraged my move from NTA Ibadan to the Headquarters (then in Lagos). He burnished my skills, taught me discipline & hardwork and gave us opportunities to shine - knowing as he did, that our light did not dim his own.
"I was with him on his 79th birthday - along with some of my former colleagues but missed his 80th as I was declaring my candidature on the same day.
"May God grant him sweet repose and bless his devoted wife & other family members."
Fabio was a founding member of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in the 1960s.
NGNEWS247.COMThe writer is Alamu Tosin. I have three strong passions in life - football, blogging and movies - in that order. I love spending time with friends talking about the important things in life and hate nothing more than 'authority' and hypocrisy. My personal believe in life is that once an individual sets his/her mind to achieve something, it is totally possible. And oh!, I am a strong Lannister, because I always pay my debt. For writing or fixing gigs, contact tosinalamu@gmail.com.