Twenty years in the life of an individual or corporate body is, without a doubt, a milestone. It is even more so for a newspaper incorporated in an environment where the mortality rate in newspaper publishing will overwhelm the faint-hearted.
That LEADERSHIP is standing firm despite the odds tells a lot about its founder, the late Sam Nda-Isaiah, whose vision was driven by big ideas, a large heart, tenacity, and a fearless spirit.
The saying, “Oaks from little acorns grow,” is a fitting testimony to this newspaper’s humble beginnings. It is embedded in the heart of the capital city of Abuja and has come to be acknowledged as the most influential newspaper in the business.
It did not start from day one as a daily newspaper. The success of its precursor, LEADERSHIP Confidential, sowed the seed of courage that set the ship and its captain on an adventurous voyage of discovery.
What is unique about the newspaper and its founder is that they are not, in a manner of speaking, professionally related. Yet, they cohabited and built a relationship that has stood the test of time.
Apart from having a journalist as a father and editing his university’s pharmacists’ journal, another significant leap into newspapering for this pharmacist was his newspaper column, “Last Word and Earshot.”
When he decided to publish the collections of his write-ups in book form with the title, Nigeria: Full Disclosure: Selected Writings on Governance, Democracy and Statecraft, May 1999 – March 2004, Sam, as he was fondly called, was able to raise around N20 million, which was the seed money that funded the group and nurtured it to what it is today – a reference point to what determination can achieve.
As expected, LEADERSHIP has experienced many ups and downs, an essential part of any success story. Perhaps the most telling was the passing of its founder, Sam, on December 11, 2020. It is still standing firm because of the commitment of its advisory board, management and staff, who have imbibed the founder’s dogged spirit and unyielding zeal.
The late Sam Nda-Isaiah was a man of ideas. He constantly tested them, sometimes with an overdose of energy and zeal. A pharmacist by training, he was also an audacious entrepreneur. He ventured into various businesses, from farming to manufacturing and outsourcing and from canine security services to fintech. All of this, of course, after he worked briefly at Pfizer.
Some of his ardent admirers disagreed with his decision to join active politics. But never a man to be deterred by fear or obstacles, he doubled down on his conviction.
Those days tested the resilience of the foundation that the late Nda-Isaiah laid and on which LEADERSHIP still stands. The newspaper proved sturdy enough to survive the knocks, especially by political opponents, who wanted him punished for trying to upstage the status quo.
On his return from his political foray, the LEADERSHIP he met was bloodied but unbowed. Together with his team, he mended the broken fences and restored the organisation to its deserved place in the industry.
His legacy has thrived. To a large extent, that has been achieved because he left behind not just brick and mortar but human resources that believed and still believe in him and are willing and able to continue the race from where he left off under the able leadership of his wife and successor, Zainab Nda-Isaiah.
Twenty years after the newspaper was established and four years after the founding Chairman went the way of all mortals, LEADERSHIP is growing from strength to strength, thanks to the goodwill, support and patronage of its readers, advertisers and regular contributors.
Nigeria’s most influential newspaper remains resolute in its service to God and country!
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