Veteran broadcaster and former General Manager of Plateau Radio Television Corporation, PRTC, Leo Keyen, is dead.
His death was announced by his daughter, Sophie Keyen, a social media content creator, in a post shared on her Facebook page.
Mourning her father, Sophie wrote: “Your unapologetic Daddy’s girl will miss you every day pops. Sleep peacefully with Angels my first love.”
Details surrounding his death were not immediately available as of press time.
Keyen was widely known in Nigerian and international broadcasting circles for his distinguished career in public media and for leading the Hausa Service of the Voice of America, VOA, in Washington, D.C.
Before his international media engagement, he served in leadership positions in Plateau State’s broadcasting sector and rose to become General Manager of Plateau Radio Television Corporation, where he contributed to the growth of public broadcasting.
He later joined the Voice of America and served as Head of the Hausa Service, overseeing radio and television programmes that focused on political, social and developmental issues across Nigeria and West Africa.
During his time at VOA, Keyen was associated with several prominent programmes and played a significant role in expanding Hausa-language broadcasting to audiences across the region.
Following news of his death, tributes began pouring in from colleagues, media professionals and associates.
Veteran journalist, Jonathan Isahaku, in a tribute posted on his Facebook page, described Keyen as a man whose influence extended beyond broadcasting.
“What a loss,” Isahaku wrote.
“Leo — Debonair, Excellence, Flamboyance, Brilliance, Confidence.
“Broadcaster per excellence. The man who ‘forced’ me to speak in Hausa to the world on VOA.
“God’s comfort to family and teeming friends. Adieu, my brother.”