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

The awards are part of activities marking the centenary of the Daily Times, 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 at a press briefing ahead of the ceremony slated for Thursday in Abuja.

Okusaga said about 30 Nigerians would be honoured at the first edition of the awards, stressing that the ceremony was the first in a series of events through which the newspaper would recognise 100 deserving Nigerians.

He explained that the remaining awardees would be honoured at subsequent ceremonies, including an event scheduled for Lagos with the centenary award cycle expected to climax in June 2027.

According to him, about six to seven governors are among those to be honoured at the ceremony, alongside public servants, private-sector leaders, entrepreneurs and Nigerians making global impact.

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

Adesina, meanwhile, is expected to receive the Global Impact Award and serve as keynote speaker at the event.

Okusaga said the awards were not restricted to politicians, noting that national development involved contributions from the public and private sectors, entrepreneurship and social causes.

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

He added that nominees were required to open their doors to the council for verification and confirm their participation before being considered for the current award cycle.

Okusaga said those who did not meet the criteria for the first batch could still be considered for subsequent rounds of the awards.

He further disclosed that the recognition would cut across different sectors, including the judiciary, legislature and security agencies.

He said some lawmakers, including Senator Ahmed Wadada, would also be recognised, while traditional rulers and other Nigerians whose contributions had enriched the country would 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 chronicling the country’s development from 1914 through independence and the post-independence era.

Reflecting on the history of the Daily Times, he said the newspaper played a significant role in the struggle for Nigeria’s independence and subsequently became a partner in national development.

He cited the newspaper’s 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, the Daily Times also pioneered the Evening Times, an innovation designed to provide more frequent news updates long before the advent of the internet and today’s 24-hour news cycle.

He added that the newspaper would use the occasion to examine how it could reinvent itself in response to changing patterns of news consumption.

“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,” Okusaga said.

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.