Daily Times Nigeria @ 100: Activities for Centenary celebration begin
Twenty-four months to the centenary celebration of the Daily Times, preparations for this landmark event have begun.
Recall that Daily Times Nigeria was incorporated on June 6, 1925, by Richard Barrow, Sir Adeyemo Alakija, and others. The first edition of the publication of 2000 copies hit the streets of Lagos on June 1, 1926, with Sir Ernest Okoli, as the pioneer editor.
Adeyemo Alakija was Chairman of the Board. Both men became involved with the nationalist Nigerian Youth Movement. Later, Ikoli became a member of the Legislative Council in 1941, while Alakija was appointed to the governor’s Executive Council in 1943.
Therefore, on June 1, 2026, the Daily Times will be 100 years.
Also recall that at its peak, in the 1970s, it was one of the most successful locally- owned businesses in Africa. The Daily Times of Nigeria Plc had eight subsidiary companies in publishing, printing, packaging, education, trading, and finance. The eight companies are Times Press Limited, Times Ventures Limited, Nigerpak Limited, Times Journalism Institute, Naira Holdings, Times Books Limited, Naira Properties Limited, and West Africa Publishing Company Limited (80 percent owned). The company also had 22 different publications at its stable.
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By world standards and records, only a few global brands have had their hands on stars for a century. By this feat, Daily Times will rise as the Media giant in Nigeria and Africa to have reached this milestone, weathering all storms to remain at the forefront of journalism in Nigeria.
To commemorate 100 years of resilience and endurance, the Folio Media Group (FMG), which owns Daily Times, is implementing plans and initiatives.
Speaking on the activities to commemorate the centenary, Charles Ozoemena, Lead Consultant, Daily Times at 100, said: “For us at Daily Times, this celebration of our flagship’s continuous existence is an opportunity to revitalise the image of Daily Times of Nigeria, honour our founding fathers and veterans, reward loyal stakeholders, and expand the publication’s reach and success.
“Towards this 100th anniversary, we have rolled out a 24-month calendar of activities. Some of them include the honouring of 22 Daily Times veterans/ Icons, launching of educational projects through the establishment of Folio Media and Creative Academy (FMCA), publication of historical books, using 97 years of Daily Times archived materials, and deepening its avowed commitment to journalism profession through workshops that would train about 400 journalists across the six geo-political zones.
“The grand reception to be marked with pomp and pageantry on June 1, 2026, will witness the Times Heroes Award. Accordingly, we will be nominating 100 special Nigerians for a centenary award, given their successes in politics, business, ICT/technology, sports, charity, education, medicine, diplomacy, security services, media, governance, food production, etc”.
