The Daily Times of Nigeria began publication on 1 June 1926 under the title The Nigerian Daily Times. It was founded by the Nigerian Printing and Publishing Company, incorporated in June 1925, with a blend of African and expatriate shareholders. From its inception, the paper stood at the intersection of colonial commerce and emerging African professionalism.
Lagos, then the capital of the British Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, was a vibrant centre of trade, politics, and journalism. Newspapers in the 1920s served not only as instruments of information but also as arenas where the new African intelligentsia honed their voices. Within this environment, the Daily Times distinguished itself by combining commercial discipline with the ambition to showcase African capability within a colonial economy dominated by European capital.
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Sir Adeyemo Alakija, Chairman and Founding Figure
Sir Adeyemo Alakija (1884–1952) was among the founders of the Daily Times and served as the first Chairman of the Nigerian Printing and Publishing Company. Trained as a barrister in London, Alakija represented the educated African elite who sought to demonstrate professional competence and modern leadership under colonial rule.
Under his guidance, the Daily Times was structured as both a sound business and a platform for responsible African journalism. He worked to maintain a delicate balance between European commercial interests and African editorial participation, ensuring that the paper’s African management was visible and credible.
Beyond journalism, Alakija was a member of the Nigerian Legislative Council and active in Lagos civic life, including education and welfare organizations. His career epitomized the possibility for Africans to succeed within the colonial system through discipline and strategic engagement rather than open confrontation.
Through his leadership, the Daily Times gained a reputation for stability, moderation, and professionalism, traits that became hallmarks of the paper well into the postcolonial era.
Ernest Sissei Ikoli, Pioneer Editor and Public Advocate
Ernest Sissei Ikoli (1893–1960), a teacher turned journalist, became the Daily Times’s first editor in 1926 and shaped its professional and civic identity. His editorial policy emphasized education, public integrity, and civic responsibility, steering clear of sensationalism or radical agitation.
Under Ikoli’s direction, the newspaper covered trade, public health, and administrative matters with a balanced tone that appealed to both African and European readers. This approach allowed the Daily Times to thrive despite the restrictive colonial press laws that limited criticism of the government.
Ikoli’s later career further illustrates his reformist convictions. He co-founded the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) in 1934, widely regarded as Nigeria’s first nationwide nationalist organization, and later represented Lagos in the Legislative Council of Nigeria. His experiences at the Daily Times reinforced his belief in the press as a tool for civic education and gradual reform rather than revolutionary confrontation.
Through his example, Nigerian journalism developed into a profession defined by public responsibility, factual accuracy, and moderation. Ikoli’s influence bridged the gap between colonial service journalism and the later nationalist press led by figures like Nnamdi Azikiwe.
Eric Olawolu Moore, Civic Leader and Contemporary of the Founders
Eric Olawolu Moore (1878–1944) was one of Lagos’s foremost barristers and a member of the Legislative Council during the early 1930s. While no surviving corporate records conclusively document his formal directorship of the Daily Times, Moore maintained close personal and professional ties with Lagos’s press and business community, including Alakija and Ikoli.
Moore’s standing as a reform-minded lawyer and civic leader made him representative of the professional elite that supported enterprises such as the Daily Times. His family also made notable contributions to education: his daughter, Lady Kofo Ademola (née Moore), became the first West African woman to earn a degree from Oxford University and an advocate for girls’ education.
Though his precise corporate role remains uncertain, Moore’s participation in Lagos’s civic and professional life situates him firmly within the milieu that shaped the Daily Times’s early identity.
Business and Colonial Context
The onset of the Great Depression (1929–1933) brought severe challenges to Nigeria’s press industry. Advertising revenue fell, and the cost of imported newsprint rose sharply. Many small publications collapsed, but the Daily Times survived through prudent management and by attracting expatriate advertisers seeking stability in Lagos’s volatile economy.
In 1934–1935, British businessman R. B. Paul, based in Liverpool, acquired a controlling interest in the Daily Times. His investment brought new capital and technical modernization to the printing operations. This development reflected a wider colonial pattern: while Europeans often retained financial control, Africans increasingly assumed editorial and managerial responsibilities.
The resulting structure was a hybrid management model, European oversight in finance and production, combined with African leadership in editorial and public affairs. Despite its colonial constraints, this model made the Daily Times both commercially viable and culturally influential.
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Press Freedom and Editorial Balance
Press freedom in colonial Nigeria was restricted by Sedition Ordinances and press licensing laws that curbed overt criticism of the government. The Daily Times, mindful of these limits, pursued a cautious yet constructive editorial strategy.
Rather than challenge authority directly, it emphasized literacy, social welfare, and economic progress. This distinguished it from later nationalist papers such as The West African Pilot, founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1937, which adopted a more confrontational anti-colonial tone.
Thus, the Daily Times of the 1930s represented an earlier, reformist phase of Nigerian journalism, moderate in tone but nationalist in purpose. It quietly asserted the principle that Africans could manage complex institutions and engage the public responsibly within the colonial framework.
The Broader Legacy
By the 1940s, the Daily Times had become Nigeria’s most successful and widely circulated newspaper, reaching audiences across West Africa. Following independence, it evolved into a fully Nigerian-owned institution, but its foundations were laid in the disciplined management and editorial integrity of the 1930s.
The contributions of Sir Adeyemo Alakija and Ernest Sissei Ikoli, supported by Lagos’s professional elite, established lasting standards of financial prudence, editorial credibility, and civic engagement. These early principles shaped the ethos of Nigerian journalism for decades.
The Daily Times stands not merely as a business enterprise but as a school of leadership and public ethics, bridging the colonial and nationalist eras. Its 1930s leadership demonstrated that African initiative, professionalism, and moderation could coexist with institutional rigor and commercial success.
The 1930s leadership and board of the Daily Times of Nigeria marked a turning point in the emergence of African professionalism during the colonial period. Figures such as Sir Adeyemo Alakija and Ernest Sissei Ikoli embodied a generation that proved Africans could manage modern institutions with vision and integrity.
Author’s Note
Even within the limitations of colonial rule, they built a legacy of competence and responsibility that influenced the press, governance, and business in Nigeria’s formative decades. Their stewardship transformed the Daily Times from a colonial experiment into a national institution and a cornerstone of Nigeria’s modern public life.
Reference:
Fred I. A. Omu, Press and Politics in Nigeria, 1880–1937 (1978)
Biographical records on Sir Adeyemo Alakija, Ernest Sissei Ikoli, and R. B. Paul
Nigerian National Archives and British Library Newspaper Collections (entries for The Nigerian Daily Times, 1926–1935)
Lagos civic and legal biographies referencing Eric O. Moore and Lady Kofo Ademola
National Open University of Nigeria courseware: History of the Nigerian Mass Media
