Chairman of Daily Times, Fidelis Anosike, says Nigeria is suffering from global perception deficits, stressing the need for the country to take control of its narrative and change how it is perceived internationally.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Wednesday, Anosike discussed the newspaper’s centenary celebrations, its contribution to nation-building and efforts to recognise Nigerians and institutions that have influenced the country’s development.
He said the newspaper’s centenary project was driven by the need to address Nigeria’s global image and document its history, achievements and development aspirations.
“So the point is that it is time for us to take over our own narrative.”
Anosike said Daily Times had the credibility to undertake the initiative because of its historical contribution to Nigeria’s development.
“We felt that because when Nigeria was created, we have the credibility as Daily Times to create that narrative, put it together, first launch it in a platform that when you walk into a room, when a Nigerian walks into a room, you know he’s a Nigerian, you don’t have anybody to tell you.”
He said the project was also intended to ensure Nigeria’s achievements were documented and presented in a way that would influence how the country is perceived globally.
“So it’s about capturing history, writing about ourselves in the way we want to be seen in the world. So that’s what we’re doing.”
Anosike said the newspaper’s centenary publication had taken 15 years to produce and would document Nigeria’s history, present realities and future aspirations.
“The content of the book, this book has taken 15 years to make.”
He said the publication would also recognise individuals and institutions whose contributions had shaped the country, with the aim of preserving their achievements for future generations.
“In launching the Daily Times Heroes Awards, what are we trying to do? Okay, we’re trying to get 110 makers that can go into this book, so that in 100 years, when we are talking about Daily Times as 200, we’re not going to be here, but we have a record. That’s Daily Times of 1926 we can see.”
The Daily Times chairman said the centenary initiative was also intended to encourage Nigerians to take ownership of the country’s identity and development.
“The idea is to have the champions that can take ownership of this brand called Nigeria.”
Daily Times’ Nation-Building Legacy
Anosike said Daily Times was established in 1925 as part of efforts to advance the nationalistic movement and contribute to the creation of Nigeria.
He said the newspaper’s original purpose extended beyond journalism to nation-building.
“So the paper was actually started.
It started as a newspaper company, right? But it’s not actually a newspaper company. It’s a nation-building company. So it viewed the nation.”
He said the newspaper also played a significant role in developing Nigeria’s capital market, adding that the Nigerian Stock Exchange building was established on Daily Times land.
“Daily Times built the capital market. The Nigerian Stock Exchange building was created by Daily Times. It was built on Daily Times land.”
Anosike said the newspaper subsequently became the country’s first indigenous quoted company on the Stock Exchange.
He said its contribution to the capital market remained part of the legacy the centenary project was documenting.
Daily Times Digital Archives
Anosike also disclosed that the newspaper had digitised a significant portion of its historical archives, making them available online for research and public access.
He said the digital library was one of the major projects undertaken since the newspaper’s takeover.
“Daily Times Digital Library is already online. That’s one of the biggest projects we’ve done in the 22 years we took over Daily Times.”
He said the newspaper had digitised 70 per cent of its archives and was working to consolidate its historical records.
“So we’ve put 70% of what we’ve digitised. So we are now collecting every other copy.”
Anosike said the digital archive was free to access and described it as the biggest archive in Africa.
He also disclosed that Daily Times was developing an artificial intelligence platform as part of its digital transformation.
“We’re also building an AI platform, by the way.
And that’s part of the Daily Times 2.0.”
Daily Times Heroes Awards
Anosike said the newspaper had established an award council to determine individuals and institutions whose contributions would be recognised during the centenary celebrations.
He said the awards would serve as a benchmark for identifying Nigerians whose achievements deserved recognition and documentation.
“So what we did was we set up an award council.”
He said the awards would cover three broad categories, including chain makers of the decade, chain makers of the century and trailblazers.
“The award has different criteria, three broad areas. You have the chain makers, the decade, you have chain makers of the century, and you have trailblazers.”
Anosike said the awards would recognise contributions across different sectors, including media, advertising, military, law and order, and technology.
He said the selection process would involve nominations and validation by the award council.
“And once we nominate you, I can nominate someone, but the council will put it out, get some comments and then also then they validate that and then put it across for everybody to agree.”
He added that the award recipients would be featured in the centenary publication.
“So when you win the award, you get featured in the book.”
Nigeria’s Development Priorities
Anosike also spoke about the challenges of operating in Nigeria, describing the country’s environment as contentious and stressing the importance of understanding its realities.
He said Nigerians should focus on building a better future rather than dwelling solely on past difficulties.
“I always tell people that that’s the Nigerian context. Everything in Nigeria is contentious. Everything is contentious.”
He said the country needed to consider the future it wanted to create for the next generation.
Anosike said the centenary celebrations would provide an opportunity to reflect on Nigeria’s history while recognising individuals and institutions contributing to its future.
The Daily Times centenary celebration is scheduled for November 3 at Harbour Point in Lagos, under the theme Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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