Babatunde Jose

Jose was born on 13 December 1925 in Lagos, Nigeria, to the family of Hamzat and Hajarat Jose; his father was a trader, originally from Ikare in Ondo State, who had moved to Lagos, and his mother was of Nupe ancestry. His paternal grandfather was Braimoh Jose, once the Seriki Musulmi of Calabar. Babatunde Jose received his education at Lagos Government School, Yaba, Lagos, Methodist school, Yaba and St Saviour's College. ==Journalism career==

Jose started his career at Nnamdi Azikiwe's Daily Comet, before becoming a trainee at the Daily Times in 1941, at the age of 16. He was transferred to editorial department as a junior reporter in 1946 and then worked as a Times correspondent in the Eastern region and Northern region. In 1947, the Daily Mirror group bought majority shares in the Daily Times. From 1948 to 1950, Jose was political and industrial correspondent of the Times and in 1950, he became the news editor. He worked for several papers (including the Daily Mirror in Fleet Street in London for a year in 1951), then returned to the Daily Times, where he was made the assistant editor in 1952. On 13 December 1957, he was appointed the editor before becoming a board member in September 1958. Nigeria became independent in 1960, and Jose benefited from a policy of Africanisation: he "was appointed the company's first African managing director in 1962, becoming chairman as well in 1968". Over the following years, the Daily Times became Nigeria's best-selling newspaper. In 1965, Jose was awarded the title Officer of the Federal Republic. ==References==