Place and Date of Birth:

Uromi, Edo State; 21st January, 1935

Early childhood:

Owo, Ondo State

Education:

St. Stephens Elementary School, Akure (Ondo State)

CMS Primary School, Ado-Ekiti (Ondo State)

Government School, Ekpoma(Edo State)

St. David’s School, Akure (Ondo State)

Government School, Warri (Delta State)

Government College, Ughelli (Delta State) –

1948 September Set. (School Prefect; Head of School House;

Captain of Football; School Colours at Cricket, Athletics and Football; Grier Cup Record Holder in Javelin in

successive years 1951, 1952, 1953)

Employment:

1. a) Assistant Publicity Officer, Department

(renamed Federal Ministry) of Information, 1954

1. b) Sub-editor, Daily Times, 1955
2. c) Assistant District Manager, Rediffusion

                   Services, Ibadan, 1957

1.                d) [i] Features Editor, Daily Times, 1958

[ii] Editor, Sunday Times, 1958*

1. e) Editor, Daily Times, 1962
2. f) Daily TimesGroup Editorial Adviser, 1965**
3. g) Editor-in-Chief, Daily Times, 1966

*The Sunday Times in those days of its glory was owned by the

UK Daily Mirror Group as part of its overseas newspapers

in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Singapore and Guyana. Circulated in

Ghana and Cameroon it had the largest sales by any newspaper

in West Africa.

**Peter has written that his career in the Daily Times was saved by

the Peter Pan Column that he began writing in 1959.

h)Contributing Editor, Radio Deutsche Welle, Cologne,

Germany, 1966-1976

1. i) Africa Editor, National Zeitung, Basel, Switzerland

j)One of founding Editors of Africa magazine,

Paris, 1970; UK, 1972

k)Editorial Director, New African magazine, London, 1978

1. l) Founded Africa Now, a monthly political, economic quality

magazinein London, 1980***

***Frank Barton in his authoritative book titled “The Press of Africa”

(The Macmillan Press Ltd.) described Peter as “arguably Africa’s best

journalist writing in the English language.”

1. m) Pioneer Chairman Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, 1992
2. n) Sole Administrator, Daily Times Nigeria Plc, 1996

Author:

1. a) How to be a Nigerian(1966)
2. b) Yougotta Cry to Laugh (1972)
3. c) The Complete Nigerian(1992)
4. d) Then Spoke the Thunder (2009)

Awards:

Fellow, Nigerian Guild of Editors

Fellow, Commonwealth Journalist Association

Legend of Nigeria Media, “for selfless and outstanding

contribution to the growth of the media in Nigeria” –

Nigeria’s Media Green Carpet Award

20th Century Award of Achievement, “in recognition of

outstanding achievements in the field of Journalism” –

International Biographical Centre of Cambridge,

England.