Today, activities marking the 70th birthday of Ndubuisi Ugbeide, journalist, teacher and pastor, climax with a reception at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos. Ugbeide is an Old Boy of the Daily Times, Nigeria’s foremost newspaper which in its heyday ruled the roost. Daily Times was everything a paper should be and more. Unfortunately, it was killed by those who should have ensured its survival as a legacy of its founding fathers.
Read Also: NRC suspends Warri-Itakpe train operations as engine develops fault
I am nostalgic whenever the issue is Daily Times, but today belongs to Ugbeide, a former editor in the Times, as well as one-time deputy director and later director of Times Journalism Institute (TJI), Iganmu, Lagos. Ugbeide’s deployment to TJI was part of the company’s deliberate policy of making astute managers of its top journalists in preparing them for higher responsibilities. Ugbeide, who clocked 70 on April 1, worked well with his director, Chief John Araka, who he succeeded when the latter became editor of the Daily Times.
The DVC and later VC (for deputy vice chancellor and vice chancellor) as we used to call Ugbeide brought his editorial skills to bear on his work at TJI where he left his mark. Happy birthday, VC.