This photograph shows a young Nnamdi Azikiwe (“Zik”), seated at a desk wearing a shirt and bow tie, pen in hand, with a copy of the West African Pilot beside him.
Launched on 22 November 1937, the West African Pilot was the newspaper through which Azikiwe waged an intellectual and cultural battle against British colonial rule. It quickly became one of Nigeria’s most influential publications, pioneering popular journalism in the country. With a circulation of about 25,000 copies, the paper reached a wide readership and skillfully intertwined news, culture, and sport, using the popularity of soccer to underscore the growing resistance to colonial domination.
The success of the Pilot laid the foundation for a chain of regional newspapers under Zik’s Press Limited, including the Eastern Nigerian Guardian (Port Harcourt, 1940), the Nigerian Spokesman (Onitsha, 1943), the Southern Defender (Warri), and the Sentinel (Enugu). These publications expanded Azikiwe’s influence and provided a powerful voice for nationalist movements across Nigeria.
The West African Pilot ceased publication in 1967 with the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War. Though there were two revival attempts after the war, including one in 1993 backed by prominent allies such as Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya, Chief Matthew Tawo Mbu, and Chief Duro Onabule, the paper could not overcome economic and political challenges. Rising printing costs and the turbulence of Nigeria’s disputed 1993 elections ultimately forced its final closure.
The legacy of the West African Pilot endures as a landmark in African journalism, remembered for shaping political discourse and nurturing the spirit of independence.
Image Credit: Duckworth, E. H., 1894–1972 (Photographer) / Herskovits Library of African Studies
Source: asirimagazine
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