Former Deputy Editor, Dr Emeka Nwosu, writes on his experience working at the Daily Times, noting that the newspaper was a great national institution.
I came into the employment of DTN in 1987 after a competitive examination moderated by the Department of Mass Communications, University of Lagos, under the superintendence of Chief Segun Osoba, the Managing Director of the conglomerate.
If I can recollect correctly, it was the first time such an examination was being held to recruit fresh university graduates to man some key units of the DTN. Indeed, the exam was conducted to recruit only six persons to beef up the staff profile of Times International, a major political publication on the stable of DTN.
Out of over a hundred people who participated in the interview process, only six of us made it. To God be the glory, I topped the list. That was how I started my illustrious journalism career in the old DTN.
After cutting my teeth in Times International, I was moved to the Political Desk of the mainstream Daily Times newspaper when it was set up in 1989 under Chief Onyema Ugochukwu as the Editor. I was to rise as the Political Editor and later, Editorial Board member, Deputy Editor and Acting Editor of the daily.
Daily Times opened doors for me as I was privileged to interact with the high and mighty in the polity. The DTN also provided opportunities for me to travel to different parts of the world. The high point was my trip to Germany in 1990, where I was credited with the singular honour of being the first Nigerian journalist to witness the collapse of the famous Berlin Wall.
It was a historic moment for me as I bore witness to history. The collapse of the Berlin Wall eventually led to the retreat of socialism and the end of the Cold War. The DTN allowed me to serve as Media Adviser to the Senate President in 1999.
Before then, I had the rare honour of being elected the National President of the National Association of Political Correspondents (NAPOC). I served in that capacity from 1990 to 1994.
I further served as Special Adviser on Research and Documentation to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.
ÐTN was a great national institution when we worked in the organisation. I remain very grateful for the opportunities the institution provided for me and other contemporaries.
To God be the glory.
