Nigeria’s oldest newspaper, the Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN), will honour about 30 distinguished Nigerians, including Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume; former President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina; and several governors at the DTN@100 Times Heroes Awards.

The awards are part of activities marking the centenary of the newspaper, which began publication in 1926 and has chronicled Nigeria’s political, economic, social and cultural development over the past century.

Chairman of the DTN@100 Heroes Awards Council, Bolaji Okusaga, disclosed this yesterday at a press briefing ahead of the ceremony scheduled for Thursday in Abuja.

He said the first edition would honour about 30 Nigerians, while the remaining honourees would be recognised at subsequent ceremonies, including an event planned for Lagos, with the centenary award cycle expected to climax in June 2027.

According to Okusaga, six to seven governors are among those expected to receive the awards, alongside public servants, private-sector leaders, entrepreneurs and Nigerians making global impact.

He said Akume would be recognised for his distinguished public service career spanning several decades, including his tenure as governor of Benue State, his service as a senator and his current position as SGF.

Adesina, he added, would receive the Global Impact Award and deliver the keynote address at the ceremony.

Okusaga stressed that the awards were not restricted to politicians, noting that national development involved contributions from the public and private sectors, entrepreneurs and individuals advancing social causes.

He said the selection process was rigorous, involving nominations, engagement with nominees and physical verification of claims about their achievements.

“Daily Times could not have done this because for you to be a news platform, you need news makers. So we are awarding news makers over the course of the last 100 years, with particular emphasis on the last 10 years, who have added to Nigeria as a nation,” he said.

He disclosed that the recognition would cut across the judiciary, legislature and security agencies, adding that some lawmakers, including Senator Ahmed Wadada, traditional rulers and other Nigerians would also feature in the award cycle.

Beyond the awards, Okusaga said the 100 eventual honourees would be included in the Nigeria Grand Book, a historical record documenting the country’s development from 1914 through independence and the post-independence era.

Reflecting on the newspaper’s 100-year journey, Okusaga said Daily Times played a significant role in Nigeria’s struggle for independence and subsequently became a partner in national development.

He cited its contribution to the establishment of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, noting that the building originally belonged to the Daily Times.
He also recalled the newspaper’s investments in real estate and education through initiatives such as the Times Education Supplements.

According to him, Daily Times pioneered the Evening Times, an innovation designed to provide more frequent news updates long before the emergence of the internet and the contemporary 24-hour news cycle.

However, he said the centenary celebration would also provide an opportunity for the newspaper to examine how it could reinvent itself in response to changing patterns of news consumption.

Okusaga said the newspaper’s next phase must take into account the transformation of the media industry and the way Nigerians now consume news.

He added that the centenary awards were designed not only to celebrate the newspaper’s legacy but also to honour Nigerians whose contributions had helped shape the country and inspire future generations.