Daily Times @100 : MTN Chair Ndukwe Honours With Digital Development Award

The Chairman of MTN Nigeria, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, has been honoured at the Daily Times Nigeria Centenary Awards, tagged DTN@100 Times Heroes Awards. The ceremony, held at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and recognised individuals and institutions whose contributions have shaped Nigeria’s past and will influence its future.

The recognition, held under the theme “Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future” alongside the Shaping the Future Town Hall and the Honouring the Past Exhibition, celebrated leadership and innovation across media, banking, energy, manufacturing, public service, technology and national development.

Ndukwe, a former Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission from 2000 to 2010, was honoured as a Changemaker in Telecommunications and Digital Development, in recognition of his pioneering role in the liberalisation and rapid expansion of the industry, including the landmark introduction of GSM services, which fundamentally transformed communication, business and economic opportunities for millions of Nigerians.

Accepting the award, an elated Ndukwe congratulated the newspaper and its board on the milestone. “A wonderful event, Daily Times at 100 is something special,” he said. “I am sure it will move, many times over, to the next level. I thank everyone who is here today for making time to celebrate with all of us on this landmark.”

Speaking on the significance of the centenary, the Chairman of Folio Media Group, which owns Daily Times Nigeria, Mr. Fidelis Anosike, said the newspaper’s legacy was inseparable from the story of Nigeria itself, declaring: “Nigeria is not Nigeria today if there was no Daily Times. They laboured to create the country that we see today, and we are here to continue in their legacy of trying to build, one million times.”

Presenting the award, the organisers noted that Ndukwe’s work “helped shape the foundation on which Nigeria’s digital advancement continues,” adding, “In recognition of his pioneering contribution to telecommunications and his enduring commitment to national progress, we honour Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, OFR, as a Changemaker in Telecommunications and Digital Development.”

Other honourees at the ceremony included the founder of Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia, CFR, CON, who received the Changemaker of the Century Award; the President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, who received the Centenary Excellence Award; the Chairman of Troyka Group/Insight Publicis, Dr. Biodun Shobanjo, CON awarded as changemaker of the century; BUA Group, named Conglomerate of the Decade.

Founded in 1926, Daily Times Nigeria is widely regarded as the country’s oldest surviving newspaper, and its centenary celebration drew captains of industry, media veterans, technocrats and political leaders to Victoria Island for what speakers described as a night “to honour the past and shape the future.”