Independent Newspapers celebrates Game Changers, Barrier Breakers at Silver Jubilee Anniversary

The Independent Newspapers, the publishers of Daily, Saturday and Sunday titles, has made good its promise bringing together Who’s Who of the society to its Silver Jubilee anniversary cum 2025 Award of excellence to deserving Nigerians.
The event themed: “Game Changer, Breaking Barriers, Shaping Tomorrow” held over the weekend at the prestigious Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos played host to many prominent Nigerians and elder statesmen. Among them were honoured with lifetime achievement awards of the year.
The awardees were Prince (Dr.) Samuel Adedoyin, Atedo Peterside Chief Kessignton Adebutu, Chief (Dr) Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Okonkwo, Chief Don Obot Etiebet and Lt-General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma.
According to Mr Steve Omanufeme, Managing Director and Editor-In- Chief, the awards were focused on celebrating those who have made a difference in their various life endeavours.
Omanufeme explained that the selection process combined public voting, assessment by a team of jurists, and the organisation’s internal evaluation. He said that the outcome of the process was reflected in the various categories of awards presented to deserving Game Changers at the event.
Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, the Soun of Ogbomosho, who chaired the occasion, described the recognition and awards as important in every sphere of life, stressing that people deserved to be acknowledged for investing their time, talent and resources in service to society and humanity.
The monarch commended the organisers for assembling great names among the award recipients, noting that they had emerged through a rigorous selection process. “The history will always remain kind to them because of the marks they had left on the sands of time,” said the Soun of Ogbomosho.
He congratulated Independent Newspapers on its silver jubilee anniversary, saying the organisation had come a long way and expressing confidence that it would celebrate its golden jubilee in another 25 years.
The award categories included Man of the year, outstanding governor of the year, financial architect of the year, best governor in Urban renewal, infrastructure champion governor of the year, health transformation governor of the year, human capital empowerment governor of the year, education reformer of the year, most innovative cabinet minister of the year and business leader of the year.
Others are alternative energy innovator of the year, trail blazer bank of the year, outstanding banker of the year, financial sector of the year, and the fintech company of the year.

Navigating the troubled waters of Nigerian business environment, the national newspaper has carved its niche proving itself as most read among political and business elites who believe in the ideal for which the newspaper was established 25 years ago.
Established in 2001, Independent Newspapers Limited entered the Nigerian media space at a time when the industry was dominated by established titles. However, the founders envisioned a publication that would combine strong investigative journalism with broad national coverage. Its flagship publication, Daily Independent, quickly established itself as a credible national newspaper known for balanced reporting and detailed coverage of politics, business and public affairs.
Alongside this, came Saturday Independent and Sunday Independent, weekend editions that provided deeper features, opinion pieces and lifestyle content. Together, these publications have positioned the organisation as a significant player in Nigeria’s print media ecosystem.