Daily Times@100: Stakeholders to chart Nigeria’s future at Nov 3 Town Hall

As part of activities marking its centenary, the Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN) will, on November 3, convene a high-level Town Hall Meeting to bring together leaders from government, business, media, creative industries and civil society to explore practical pathways to Nigeria’s development.

The forum, scheduled for Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos, will focus on the country’s economic potential, human capital, innovation, global image and the responsibilities of different sectors in building a more prosperous and competitive nation.

Organised by the Times Heroes Awards Council, the Town Hall is the second phase of the Daily Times@100 programme themed, “Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future.”

The first phase, the Times Heroes Awards held on September 3, recognised Nigerians and organisations for contributions to national development and nation-building.

Chairman of Folio Communications, owners of Daily Times, Fidelis Anosike, said the November gathering would shift the centenary conversation from celebrating past accomplishments to mobilising ideas and partnerships for Nigeria’s future.

“Nigeria has a great future ahead of it, and every Nigerian, at home and in the diaspora, must take part and take pride in its development. We have a responsibility to contribute to the Nigeria that we want to see,” he said.

Anosike identified Nigeria’s international image as one of the issues requiring concerted action, arguing that the country needed to take greater control of how its story was told.

“Nigeria is struggling with perception, and we believe that one of the first things we can do is to change the narrative through which Nigeria is perceived.

“We have also embarked on the writing of the Nigerian Grand Book because we believe we need to tell the story of Nigeria better and, in doing so, change the global perception of our country.”

He said the media would be central to the initiative, with Daily Times working with other stakeholders in the media ecosystem to give greater visibility to positive developments and Nigerians making significant impact at home and internationally.

“It is very critical to us at Daily Times to galvanise the necessary stakeholders to change the negative stories about Nigeria. We will work with the entire media ecosystem to make this happen,” Anosike said.

According to him, the initiative would identify and amplify stories of individuals and institutions making a difference in sectors ranging from music and banking to business, oil and gas.

“We will tap into what the game changers in Nigeria are doing to tell this story better — in music, business, banking, oil and gas and other sectors. There are many Nigerians doing remarkable things, and these stories need to be told more effectively,” he said.

Anosike explained that the centenary programme had been deliberately divided into two phases — recognising individuals and institutions that contributed to Nigeria’s development and creating a platform for conversations about the country’s future.

The November 3 event will feature a keynote address by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a fireside chat and awards, alongside discussions on Nigeria’s development trajectory and global image.

Chairman of the Times Heroes Awards Council, Bolaji Okusaga, said the centenary was not merely a commemoration of Daily Times’ history but an opportunity to position the newspaper for its second century.

He said Folio Communications had spent the past 22 years rebuilding and expanding the Daily Times brand while developing platforms across the media and creative economy.

According to him, the transformation included the newspaper’s digital evolution, re-engineering of the Miss Nigeria pageant, development of the Craft Creative Market as a pan-African franchise and strategic relationships within the international media ecosystem, including a partnership with CNN.

Okusaga said the next phase would accelerate the digital transformation of Daily Times and strengthen its focus on innovation, relevance and national development.

Founded in 1926, Daily Times has documented major political, economic and social developments in Nigeria while providing a platform for public discourse across generations.

The Times Heroes Awards Council said the November Town Hall would move the centenary programme beyond celebration to discussions about action, ideas and shared responsibility for Nigeria’s future.

The post Daily Times@100: Stakeholders to chart Nigeria’s future at Nov 3 Town Hall appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.