An Information Technology expert, Adedoyin Odunfa, will today (Saturday) deliver the keynote speech at the PUNCH Newspapers’ 50th anniversary black-tie dinner at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The keynote speech at the black-tie dinner, which is a part of the anniversary’s weeklong activities, will acknowledge the contributions of key stakeholders and a wide array of media industry leaders to the organisation’s success.
Odunfa, who has worked in the IT sector for almost 30 years, is expected to give an intellectual bent to the entertainment of the evening by speaking on the topic, ‘PUNCH: Fit for the future.’
Over the years, she has been passionately committed to enhancing the strategic value of IT in organisations through value-adding interventions across the information value chain.
Her company, Digital Jewels Limited, currently has footprints across nine African countries with an enviable track record.
She has also been listed among the top 100 Most Inspirational Women in Nigeria (2021); Top 50 Women in Cybersecurity in Africa (2020), and 20 FinTech Women in Nigeria (2019).
Founded in March 1973, PUNCH, which is Nigeria’s most widely read newspaper, clocked 50 on March 18, 2023, but its board of directors postponed the milestone celebration to this year because the anniversary fell within an election month and year.
The celebrations kicked off on Saturday, February 24, 2024, with a novelty football match at the Onikan Stadium, Lagos.
The events continued on Wednesday, when a three-day photo exhibition, showcasing 50 iconic photographs from PUNCH’s rich archive, opened at the Alliance Francaise de Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Meanwhile, visitors to the photo exhibition on Friday showered encomiums on the founder of the paper, Chief James Aboderin, for his outstanding legacy.
The photo exhibition finally came to a close on Friday, while the anniversary celebration continues with a dinner at the Eko Hotel and Suites today, March 2, 2024.
The anniversary’s grand finale is a staff party on March 9, where current and former staff will be feted for their contributions to PUNCH’s successes.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, a legal practitioner, Femi Fajolu, congratulated the organisation, saying it had made its mark as a leader in the sector.
According to him, the newspaper deserved to be celebrated for having maintained relevance and survived for 50 years in a country “where there is no rule of law.”
He said, “Any effort that has been sustained for over 50 years is worth celebrating. I want to congratulate Punch Newspaper for keeping up despite all the troubles.
“Any company that has been in existence for 50 years deserves kudos, especially print media in a country where there is no rule of law. They have gone through hell but they have remained standing. I say kudos to them for the nice collections they have, and I believe things can even be better.”
Also, a former arts editor at The Guardian on Sunday, who is currently a curator, Jahman Anikulapo, said Punch Newspapers had always been a benchmark, even while he was an editor.
Speaking at the venue of the exhibition, Anikulapo said, “Punch is very well deserving of celebration. Imagine something that was created 50 years ago and remains relevant. How many institutions do we have in Nigeria that have lived that long, especially as it has to do with sustaining the tempo?
“Just like Professor Wole Soyinka said yesterday (Thursday), for the newspaper to have spent 50 years and still be able to sustain the tempo by remaining the leader of the pack. It means it is doing something right. Even when I was an editor, we always used Punch as a benchmark. I also appreciate the founder and his family for the way they have been able to maintain a succession plan.”
Speaking further, he said, “I think this (exhibition) is a celebration of the vocation of the photographer. When I was an editor, I knew that in the media, photographers were never appreciated.
“We thought journalism was more about text, which is our old tradition from the British system that we copied. But from this exhibition, you can see that the photographers are the documentarists. This is commendable on the part of Punch Newspapers; and I also hope Punch will carve out a period to begin to celebrate their photographers.”
On her part, a banking and finance executive, Mrs Foluke Alakija, nee Aboderin, described the Punch Newspapers founder as “a man with a large heart” who was generous to all members of the family.
She said, “This is the 51-year journey of someone who was an accountant at a national bank and he left. He was a visionary. He was not just in the newspaper business; he was also a promoter of music, arts and culture.
“He also had an interest in football. He was a man ahead of his time. All of us, Aboderins, benefited from him in numerous ways. If anybody knew him, he was a jolly and nice man and was generous. He had such a big heart.
“His brothers also stepped in, Chief Moyo Aboderin and Uncle Ajibola Ogunshola and that’s how an institution in Nigeria has lasted for 51 years, and I am sure you know most organisations die after their owners. We thank God for his vision and legacy. We pray that in the next 50 years, the Punch Group will continue to soar high.”
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the President of the Association of Mass Communication Students, Yabatech chapter, Daniel Akinleye, expressed satisfaction with their visit to the photo exhibition.
He said, “I love the exhibition; there are realities in the pictures displayed. It brings back memories of the past, including the struggles of people and crises, particularly the EndSARS protests. It is a beautiful experience.”
