The Chairman of Folio Communications, Mr Fidelis Anosike, has urged Nigerians to take ownership of the country’s global image and tell their own story rather than allowing outsiders to define the nation.
Anosike spoke yesterday at a news conference to mark the centenary of Daily Times, where he outlined plans for what he described as ‘Daily Times 2.0’ and the company’s renewed commitment to using its media platforms to reshape perceptions about Nigeria.
According to him, Nigeria has continued to struggle with negative perceptions despite its achievements in business, entertainment, finance, culture, technology and other sectors.
He said the challenge was not a lack of capable Nigerians but the failure to consolidate and project the country’s achievements as part of a coherent national story.
‘People love Nigerians. They don’t love Nigeria, and we’re not able to transition that love for Nigerians to love for the country,’ Anosike said.
He argued that Nigerians could no longer afford to allow other countries and foreign organisations to control the narrative about the country.
‘We can’t sit down and do things. People are writing our stories. That’s how companies can exploit our culture,’ he said.
Anosike cited the international popularity of Nigerian culture, music and entertainment as evidence of the country’s influence, noting that Nigerian music and Nollywood had achieved global recognition.
He, however, said Nigeria needed to go beyond producing talent and resources to retaining greater control over their value and narratives.
He cited Ankara fabric being manufactured outside Nigeria despite its association with African fashion, as well as the export of crude oil without sufficient local processing, as examples of areas where Nigeria had not fully harnessed its resources.
According to him, Nigeria has the human capacity to change this situation, but its people must work collectively to build systems capable of translating individual achievements into national development.
Anosike said the proposed Daily Times 2.0 would therefore seek to reconnect the newspaper’s century-old legacy with the wider media ecosystem and contribute to shaping the country’s future.
He said Folio Communications had spent years building towards the new phase, adding that the company had acquired a series of events and assets over the past two decades that would culminate in the relaunch of the Daily Times brand.
‘Daily Times 2.0 is the next century of Daily Times, because what we are closing is century one,’ he said.
Anosike explained that Daily Times, which began as a newspaper company, had historically expanded into other areas, including the capital market and nation-building initiatives, with more than 30 titles covering sectors such as education and health.
He said the company had gone through its archives to understand Nigeria’s past and identify ways the newspaper could contribute to the country’s future.
He said one of the flagship initiatives was a major national publication drawn from the Daily Times archives, which he described variously as a national souvenir, centenary book and a book of changemakers.
According to him, the publication is intended to consolidate Nigeria’s story through the contributions of its people and serve as a tool for improving the country’s global perception.
Anosike said the Daily Times archives would also be used to create products around history, education and knowledge.
He said every edition of the newspaper was being collected and preserved, stressing that the material would provide future generations with a record of Nigeria’s development.
‘History and education are now the core of our business,’ he said.
The Folio chairman also called for greater recognition of Nigerians who had made significant contributions to the country and the continent.
He cited Nigerian achievements in international finance, banking, media, entertainment and business, arguing that such accomplishments needed to be properly connected and amplified.
He said Nigerians had built strong institutions and businesses in sectors including banking, media, entertainment, oil and gas and technology, but the achievements were often viewed separately rather than as part of a broader national development story.
The challenge, he added, was how to consolidate these achievements and use them to create greater economic and national value.
‘How do we galvanise, first of all, our media ecosystem to then begin to amplify this and then structure this?’ he asked.
Anosike also stressed the importance of young Nigerians in changing the country’s trajectory, saying the purpose of Daily Times 2.0 was to demonstrate to the younger generation that Nigeria could work.
He said when Folio acquired Daily Times, he was 35 years old, adding that the experience was intended to demonstrate that young Nigerians could take responsibility for institutions and build them for the future.
He said development was a gradual process and warned against expecting immediate transformation without laying the necessary foundation.
According to him, Nigeria’s challenges should not be interpreted as evidence that the country had no future.
‘Nigeria can wake up any time,’ he said, adding that Nigerians must develop the capacity and determination to change their country.
He identified education and knowledge as critical to achieving the required transformation, arguing that the country’s digital platforms should also be viewed as tools for learning and development.
Anosike said Nigerians must develop a stronger sense of nationalism capable of demanding accountability from political leaders.
‘If you’re not interested in your house, you will abandon it. But if you’re interested in your house, you will build it,’ he said.
He said Nigerians should therefore focus less on what they could take from the country and more on what they could contribute to its development.
‘People are not remembered for what they take. The reason why we all remember Jesus Christ is because of what he gave. It’s not about what you take. It’s about what you give,’ he said.
The Folio chairman also stressed the need to reconnect Nigerians in the diaspora with the country’s development, saying Nigeria loses significant resources when young people leave the country permanently after receiving education abroad.
He said the country needed to create conditions that would make Nigerians abroad willing to return and contribute their knowledge and resources to national development.
Anosike said Daily Times would work with stakeholders across the media ecosystem to promote a more coherent Nigerian narrative.
He said the planned ‘Shaping the Future’ initiative would seek to bring together stakeholders from the media, entertainment, politics and other sectors to discuss and advance national development.
He maintained that media remained central to national development, noting that its role in shaping public discourse was recognised in the Nigerian Constitution.
Anosike criticised the weakening of the media industry over the years, saying the inability of media organisations to grow at the same pace as other sectors had affected the country’s development landscape.
He recalled that Folio spent N1.2 billion to acquire Daily Times about two decades ago and said the company had continued to invest in the institution despite the challenges.
He also disclosed that the company was creating an award structure to recognise Nigerians making significant contributions to national development.
He said the awards would encourage more people to become catalysts for positive change.
As Daily Times enters its second century, Anosike said the organisation would seek to honour the newspaper’s history while using its legacy to influence Nigeria’s future.
‘We want to honour the past, but we want to shape the future,’ he said.