President Bola Tinubu has expressed sadness with news of the death of Chief Joop Berkhout, a renowned publisher and Dutch national who lived in Nigeria for over 60 years.
Berkhout, 94, a naturalised Nigerian, made Ibadan, the Oyo State capital his home and dedicated his life to advancing Nigeria’s publishing industry.
Berkhout was Managing Director of Evans Brothers and Spectrum Books Limited in Nigeria.
Even after retiring in 2008, his passion endured through Safari Books Limited, a publishing house he founded and chaired until his death.
In a statement the President said: “Chief Berkhout lived a remarkable life in Nigeria. He was a doyen of publishing for over 50 years, shaping the industry and inspiring many Nigerian writers.
“Berkhout immersed himself in our culture and tradition such that he bagged a chieftaincy title as Okun Borode of Ile-Ife. Though he hailed from the Netherlands, his heart belonged wholly to Nigeria”
President Tinubu commiserated with Berkhout’s family members in Nigeria and the Netherlands, as well as the literary community within and beyond Nigeria and prayed for his soul to find eternal rest
(Editor: Oloyede Oworu)
