Today, the 29th of August, 2023 marks exactly 15 years when the late doyen of Nigerian newspaper journalism and former Chairman of the Daily Times of Nigeria, Dr. Ismail Babatunde Jose, returned to his Creator, Allah. Dr. Jose was an exemplary Muslim, a quintessential and selfless professional, and a mentor of the early generation of Nigerian journalists.
To remember his legacies, an Award-winning sports journalist and Executive Consultant at Complete Sports, Nigeria’s No 1 daily sports newspaper, Dr. Mumini Alao shared excerpts from the late Jose’s book, “Walking a Tight Rope: Power Play in the Daily Times.”
ROLE OF RELIGION IN COMMERCIAL SUCCESS: CECIL HAMSWORTH KING ON DR. ISMAIL BABATUNDE JOSE’S REIGN AT THE DAILY TIMES OF NIGERIA
“Clearly, such a career as that of Dr. Jose was built on real knowledge of the newspaper business. But the essential of his career is that his commercial success was based on a deep religious faith — not on words but on the actual performance of the precepts of the Prophet (SAW) and on the injunctions given by Him.
I am not a Moslem — my religious symbol is the cross, and the symbol of the Moslem faith is the growing crescent; but Dr. Jose and I can both say “Whatever I have done with my life, my services on earth, my prayers and my death are in total submission to Allah. He is the final judge who will determine my place. My humble prayer is that He may be merciful to me despite my unintentional sins and grant me paradise.”
– Excerpt by CECIL H. KING, late former Chairman of the International Publishing Corporation, UK, writing in the Foreword to late Dr. Babatunde Jose’s book, “Walking a Tight Rope: Power Play in the Daily Times.” published by the Oxford University Press, Ibadan, 1987.
A LIFE WITHOUT RELIGION IS EMPTY!
-DOYEN OF NIGERIAN JOURNALISM, LATE DR. ISMAIL BABATUNDE JOSE
“I am grateful to all those who inspired me, trained me, encouraged me, worked, or co-operated with or assisted me throughout the years I served the Daily Times of Nigeria. I am immeasurably grateful to Cecil Hamsworth King, who was an instrument in the hands of Allah, as my guardian angel.
“Let me make seven statements of beliefs and four acknowledgements:
1. I believe that any life without religious faith is empty.
2. I believe that leadership of a family, community or organization imposes on the leader great responsibility to lead an exemplary, disciplined life.
3. I believe that a leader should not say or do in private what he cannot own up to in public. Nothing is secret.
4. I believe that the price of progress can only be paid for in the currency of hard work. That is the motto of my life.
5. I believe that the sum total of the purpose of publishing a newspaper is to influence people’s minds and that means the exercise of enormous power and responsibility.
6. I believe in the freedom of the press within the limitation of just laws.
7. I believe that you cannot produce a daily newspaper as if you are operating a plebiscitarian democracy.
“There are four persons who possess certain qualities that I admired in my early life, and I aimed to combine such qualities with my own beliefs and inherent qualities. All these have influenced me in walking on the tight rope of my profession over many years.
“The first was my late father, Hamza Brimoh Jose, whose high religious, moral, and cultural values influenced my life.
“The second is Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, whose writings in the West African Pilot inspired me to choose journalism as a career and to resolve to become a great publisher like him. He also gave me the first opportunity on his newspaper — THE COMET.
“The third is Mr. Cecil King, former Chairman of the International Publishing Corporation in the United Kingdom, who gave me the greatest opportunity: a great man, with great mind of great perception.
“The fourth is Percy Charles Roberts, former Chairman of the Mirror Group of Newspapers in UK, who was at various times General Manager and Managing Director of the Daily Times from 1952 to 1960 — who brought his military and journalistic training to bear in his work — in particular his flair for detailed planning and strategy before starting any operation and his almost inexhaustible capacity for work.”
-Excerpt by late Dr. Ismail Babatunde Jose in the Preface to his book, “Walking a Tight Rope; Power Play in the Daily Times,” published by the Oxford University Press, Ibadan, 1987.
