The Guardian (Nigeria)

The Guardian
Type Daily newspaper
Publisher Guardian Newspapers Limited
Founded 1983
Headquarters Lagos
Website http://www.guardian.ng/

The Guardian is an independent daily newspaper published in Lagos, Nigeria, by Guardian Newspapers Limited.[1] The Guardian has been described as "Nigeria's most respected newspaper".[2]

Foundation

The Guardian was established in 1983 by Alex Ibru, an entrepreneur, and Stanley Macebuh, a top journalist with the Daily Times newspapers. The Guardian was a pioneer in introducing high-quality journalism to Nigeria with thoughtful editorial content.[3] The paper was first published on 22 February 1983 as a weekly, appearing on Sundays. It started daily publication on 4 July 1983. In the early 1980s the Guardian had a long-running campaign against the use of traditional chieftaincy titles, calling for Nigerians to be addressed simply as "Mr" or "Mrs".[4]

Struggle for freedom

During the administration of General Muhammadu Buhari, reporters Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor were both sent to jail in 1984 under Decree No. 4 of 1984, which suppressed journalistic freedom.[5][6] On 26 August 1989 The Guardian published a long letter by Dr. Bekolari Ransome-Kuti, a human-rights activist, entitled "Open Letter to President Babangida", in which he criticized what he saw as increasing government suppression of free expression of ideas.[7]

The owner, Alex Ibru, escaped an assassination attempt during the military regime of General Sani Abacha. On 2 February 1996 his car was fired upon and Ibru was hit. He was rushed to the hospital with one of his eyes dangling from its socket.[8] Following Abacha's sudden death in June 1998, legal proceedings began against his son Mohammed Abacha and his Chief Security Officer Major Hamza al-Mustapha. Eventually, in December 2010 a Lagos High Court acquitted those accused of the attempt.[9][10]

Content

The Guardian is owned by a member of an ethnic minority and has a national outlook in terms of reach and content. It claims to be independent of any ethnic group, religious community, political party or other interest group. However, it has been accused of hate-mongering against the Igbo people.[11] The Guardian is the main competitor to The Punch for advertising, although not for circulation. Unlike The Punch, it focuses on business content rather than on what the editor of The Punch refers to as "appeal to the working classes".[12] The Guardian is read by the most educated section of the elite, while The Punch can be understood by anyone with basic literacy. Other Nigerian papers fall between these extremes.[13]

The paper is one of the few relatively long-lasting national papers in Nigeria. It is believed its durability is a result of its broad range of issues and contacts, its close link to the Ibru family and non-partisanship. In its early stages of circulation, The Guardian was one of the few national dailies that did not publish advertised obituaries. Since 1989, the policy has changed and elite advertisement now makes a large percentage of the newspaper's revenue.

References

  1. ↑ "The Guardian". JournalSeek. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "Lagos Journal; A Gleeful David Faces the Goliath That Is Nigeria". The New York Times. 28 October 1988. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  3. ↑ Linda K. Fuller (2004). National Days/National Ways: Historical, Political, and Religious Celebrations Around the World. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 171. ISBN 0-275-97270-4.
  4. ↑ Okechukwu Jones Asuzu (2005). The Politics of Being Nigerian. Lulu.com. p. 257. ISBN 1-4116-1956-0.
  5. ↑ Stanley Mokaogwu (19 March 2011). "Investigative Journalism: A Panacea For Corruption". Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  6. ↑ Kassim Omomia (20 April 2011). "Buhari And The Subtle, "No Court Declaration"". Nigerian Pilot. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  7. ↑ Cheryl Johnson-Odim, Nina Emma Mba (1997). For Women and the Nation: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti of Nigeria. University of Illinois Press. p. 177. ISBN 0-252-06613-8.
  8. ↑ CLEM KHENA-OGBENA (9 January 2011). "How Al-Mustapha, Others Were Cleared". Leadership (Nigeria). Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  9. ↑ Julcit Sanda (26 February 2003). "Ibru: Mohammed Abacha Heads for Appeal Court". ThisDay. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  10. ↑ Paul Dada (22 December 2010). "Attempted Murder of Alex Ibru – Al-Mustapha, Others Cleared". Leadership (Abuja). Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  11. ↑ Eugenia Siapera (2004). At the Interface: Continuity and Transformation in Culture and Politics. Rodopi. pp. 68ff. ISBN 90-420-1732-5.
  12. ↑ "Nigeria: The PUNCH newspaper seeks to knock out the competition". RAP21. World Association of Newspapers. 7 September 2004. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  13. ↑ Judith Marcus (1999). Surviving the Twentieth Century: Social Philosophy from the Frankfurt School to the Columbia Faculty Seminars. Transaction Publishers. p. 183. ISBN 1-56000-352-9.
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