GOOD TIMES BACK IN THE STREETS

GOOD TIMES BACK IN THE STREETS

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.

Daily Times of Nigeria, the oldest surviving newspaper brand in Nigeria published continuously since 1926 is back in the streets.

Investigations by Paedia Express Multimedia in Lagos, Nigeria shows that Folio Communications Limited owned by business magnate, Mr Fidelis Anosike had published about three editions as at 17^th December,2014 .

The print media giant which almost became a corporate dinosaur was circulated nationwide in Nigeria, West Africa, East Africa, Europe and America at the peak of his glories ,with the high street brand  printing over 500,000 copies in ad day before the bubble busted.

The high street newspaper brand was associated with colorful figures in Nigerian newspaper folklore like Late Chief Anthony Enahoro, Mr Peter Enahoro,Aremo Olusegun Osoba,Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi,Dr Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo,Late Alhaji Babatunde Jose,Chief Yemi Farounbi among so many others too numerous to mention.

The brand endured a torrid time in the last eight years as gladiators took other apart and only the law courts intervened in the end  with the future of the company under serious doubt but eventually sanity returning to the outfit as preferred bidder when the Bureau for Public Enterprises [B.P.E]sold the firm,Folio Communications Limited won the landmark court ruling against the Nigerian Union of Journalists[N.U.J] and recently opened its newspaper business arm again after re-opening online for well over a year now.

Once upon a time,Ms Ijeoma Nwogwugu ,now Editor of the Thisday Newspapers acting on pecuniary interests as an insider of the BPE is said to have sold the secrets of the bidding exercise to Folio Communications Limited at the expense of the workers of the then Daily Times of Nigeria who wanted to ignite a management buy out arrangement for the future of the brand.

Daily Times Nigeria Plc in the past had such editorial titles like Drum Magazine, TIMES International ,Home Studies, Headlines, Business Times, Sporting Times ,Daily Times, Daily Times on Saturday, Sunday Times, Lagos Weekend just to mention but a few.

Daily Times of Nigeria in the past had fixed assets like real estates in the old 19 states of Nigeria  aside owning prime real estates in the metropolitan city of Lagos among which includes the imposing architectural landmark in Kakawa sreeet: The Nigerian stock Exchange, Lagos.

A prime property is also believed to have been owned by the firm in the city of London, United Kingdom, the company also owns a beauty pageant trademark called Miss Nigeria.

It is believed that the new owners have sold a lot of this properties as at press time for reasons best known to them.