Writer, broadcaster, educator and table tennis champion Mabel Segun is dead. She died in the early hours of Thursday, March 6, 2025, at the age of 95.
Her family announced her passing in a statement, saying, “It is with gratitude to God for a life well spent in the pursuit of excellence in Literature, Broadcasting, and Sports that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, Mabel Dorothy Okanima Segun (née Aig-Imoukhuede). Funeral arrangements will be published in due course.”
Segun is survived by her children, Gbenga and Omowunmi Segun, as well as grandchildren.
A graduate of the University College Ibadan (now the University of Ibadan) with a degree in English Literature, Latin and History, Segun was an accomplished educator. She taught in secondary and tertiary institutions and served as Head of the Department of English and Social Studies and Vice-Principal at the National Technical Teachers’ College, Yaba.
She was a towering figure in Nigerian literature, known for her poetry, plays, short stories, and children’s books. Her first book, My Father’s Daughter, published in 1965, became a staple in schools worldwide and was translated into several languages, including German, Danish, Norwegian, and Greek.
Segun authored numerous other works, including Under the Mango Tree, The Twins and the Tree Spirits, Readers’ Theatre: Twelve Plays for Young People and Rhapsody: A Celebration of Nigerian Cooking and Food Culture. Her works are also featured in the renowned anthology Daughters of Africa.
She championed children’s literature in Nigeria, founding the Children’s Literature Association of Nigeria in 1978 and the Children’s Documentation and Research Centre in 1990.
Her contributions to literature earned her numerous accolades, including the NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2007 and the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) in 2009.
As a broadcaster, Segun won the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation’s Artiste of the Year award in 1977. She was also a founding member of the Association of Nigerian Authors, established by Chinua Achebe in 1981.
Beyond her literary achievements, Mabel Segun was the first Nigerian woman to play table tennis competitively, earning a gold medal in the doubles category in 1954. She also excelled in badminton, winning bronze at the Nigerian Regional Championship.
Segun continued to play table tennis competitively until she was 58, inspiring generations with her athleticism and dedication.
In 2015, the Society of Young Nigerian Writers founded the Mabel Segun Literary Society to promote her works and legacy.
Her son Femi Segun, died in a motorbike accident in March 2014. He was an ex-diplomat, broadcaster and compere, married to Yeni Kuti. The union produced a daughter named Rolari.
