Mabel Segun, the celebrated Nigerian poet, writer, and children’s literature advocate, passed away on Thursday at the age of 95.
Her family released a statement expressing gratitude to God for her life well spent, describing her as a versatile media personality who pursued excellence in her field.
The statement said Mabel’s funeral arrangements will be communicated to the public soon.
Mabel is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
“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 (nee Aig-Imoukhuede) in the early hours of the 6th of March 2025,” the statement reads.
“She was 95 years old. Funeral arrangements will be published in due course.
“She was predeceased by: Femi Segun (son). She is survived by: Gbenga Segun (son) Omowunmi, Segun (daughter), Rolari Segun (granddaughter), Damilola Segun (grandson), Ayomide Segun (grandson), Fikemi Femi-Segun (granddaughter), and great grandchildren.”
Born in Ondo City on February 13, 1930, Mabel completed her secondary education at CMS Girls’ School in Lagos. She then attended the University of Ibadan, where she earned a degree in English, Latin, and History in 1953.
She went on to teach these subjects in Nigerian schools and later became head of the English and Social Studies department and vice-principal at the National Technical Teachers’ College in Yaba.
Segun’s literary career spanned multiple genres, including children’s books, adult fiction, and poetry. Her first book ‘My Father’s Daughter’ — published in 1965 — became a widely used literature text in schools globally. Her works have been translated into several languages, including German, Danish, Norwegian, and Greek.
Throughout her illustrious career, Mabel received numerous accolades and founded several organizations dedicated to promoting children’s literature.
She founded the Children’s Literature Association of Nigeria in 1978 and later established the Children’s Documentation and Research Centre in Ibadan in 1990.
She was a fellow of the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany.
Mabel was also a founding member of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), which Chinua Achebe established in 1981.
As a broadcaster, Mabel won the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation 1977 Artiste of the Year award.
She was also given the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award (NNOM) for lifetime achievements in 2009.
In 2015, the Society of Young Nigerian Writers under the leadership of Wole Adedoyin founded the Mabel Segun Literary Society, aimed at promoting and reading the works of Mabel Segun.
In 2007, Segun was awarded the LNG Nigeria Prize for Literature. She was also featured in the anthology Daughters of Africa.
Beyond her literary accomplishments, Mabel was a talented athlete who excelled in table tennis and badminton.
She was a former table tennis champion and the first Nigerian woman to play the sport. Segun earned the University’s Table Tennis Half Colour and won numerous awards, including a gold medal in the double’s category in 1954.
She played table tennis competitively until the age of 58 and also won bronze in badminton at the Nigerian Regional Championship.
