CITATION OF NIGERIAN TRIBUNE, THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDEE FOR 2019
At 70, the Nigerian Tribune is the nation’s oldest surviving newspaper. Founded by one of Nigeria’s most iconic and widely admired political figures, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Tribune made its entry into the newsstand on November 16, 1949.

With a philosophical orientation that seeks to constantly serve the greatest good, the Nigerian Tribune has over the decades proved its mettle as a veritable watchdog of the society. From being a nationalist’s medium that deployed its pages to fighting colonialism, to a journalistic fervour that dared dictatorship and has stridently advocated for deepened democratic ideals, the paper has emerged as a formidable media institution and an iconic brand.

It is to the paper’s credit that it has produced some of the continent’s finest journalists such as the legendary Lateef Jakande, the late Alade Odunewu, Felix Adenaike, Tola Adeniyi, Adebayo Williams, Tunji Lardner jr, Bayo Odulana, Sina Odugbemi to mention just a few.

For its professionalism and commitment to the cause of the downtrodden, the paper has experienced a catalogue of persecution and economic strangulation, yet it has remained unfazed, and even triumphed gloriously.

Today, the Nigerian Tribune has earned a distinguished place as one of Africa’s most successful and influential newspapers in a setting where the attrition rate of news publications has remained disturbingly high. Without any doubt, the Nigerian Tribune is a study in industry and resilience. Thanks to the vision of its founder and the managerial acumen of succeeding managers. The Tribune, today, remains a worthy example of an institutional legacy that has endured. Not only has the paper endured gracefully, it has also grown in its economic fortunes.