Top 10 Newspapers in Nigeria and Their Publishers

From the inception of newspapers in Nigeria from 3^rd December 1859 heralded by the IWE IROHIN newspaper, newspapers have seen tremendous growth as multiple papers have sprung up in the different areas of the nation. This growth is necessitated by the staggering development in various sectors and the under-reportage in those areas and so multiple papers have sprung up to the task of informing the people of the activities in their interested sectors.

This article is set to do a rundown of the top 10 newspapers in Nigeria and their publishers. Newspapers have been used for reporting about the nation’s developments, crises, or aid but in the past decades, newspapers have morphed into different sectors, tailored to the different needs of their individual target audiences. There are newspapers that are all-encompassing, the ones situated to sport, the ones attributed to business etcetera.

Top 10 Newspapers in Nigeria and Their Publishers

Here are the top ten newspapers in Nigeria with their publishers in descending order

10. Business Day

Business Day newspaper was established in 2001, it is a national daily newspaper, as the name implies it is a business-oriented daily paper that covers business insights, business policies/laws, stocks and its market, and the nation’s economy in general. It explains the concepts of doing business in the country and the ease or distress of doing such businesses here. The business paper is established in both Ghana and Nigeria, it has its Nigeria headquarters in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Business Day Publisher: Frank Aigbogun

Frank Aigbogun holds a degree in mass communication which he was awarded at Lagos Business School. He is also a journalist who doubles as a public relations consultant. He was a reporter for The Guardian from 1982 – 1984, he worked at vanguard from 1984 – 1998 in various positions before the birth of Business Day newspaper in the year 2001.

9. Nigerian Tribune

Nigerian Tribune, Birthed in November 1949 by Obafemi Awolowo is one of the oldest privately-owned newspapers in Nigeria. It has been around since the colonial era and was formerly used as a mouthpiece for the Yoruba people but with the change, they now cater to a more diverse sect with the aim of being the mouthpiece of the common man against whatever government that seeks to trump the people’s rights.

It is generally seen as a political paper but it hosts other sections such as entertainment, classified information, international news, politics, education, arts and culture, and loads more. Overall the paper is seen to be a one-stop for a lot of information as it is widespread across different areas.

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Nigerian Tribune Publisher: African Newspapers of Nigeria

African Newspapers of Nigeria is a publishing company that is in charge of a lot of newspaper outlets in Nigeria. It is owned by Mrs. HID Awolowo.

8. Leadership

Founded in 2001, the LEADERSHIP newspaper was established in October 2004 by Sam Ndanusa Isaiah a politician, businessman, and pharmacist (phew! quite a portfolio there). It is published both in English and in Hausa. It has its headquarters located in Abuja, Nigeria. It comprises politics, news, interviews, business, entertainment, and columns.

Publisher: LEADERSHIP NEWSPAPER GROUP

7. Daily Trust

This daily paper was established in 1998 and is a generalist newspaper that covers every kind of topic in Nigeria. It falls under the umbrella of MEDIA TRUST that publishes several other papers, weekly, bi-weekly, and the Hausa language AMINIYAH newspaper.

The paper was launched in January 2001 and is largely circulated in the northern parts of Nigeria. They publish news, politics, business, sports, agriculture, and other beats in the nation.

Daily Trust Publisher: MEDIA TRUST

The Media Trust is an umbrella organization that is responsible for the publication of Media Trust papers.

6. The Sun

It was introduced on 29^th March 2001. The Sun newspaper is a daily and weekly publication catered to the needs of the sports, national news, politics, business, and entertainment interested audience. It was established by The Sun Media Group. Although the names are similar there are no affiliations with The Sun UK. Its headquarters are located in Lagos, Nigeria.

The Sun Publishers: THE SUN PUBLISHERS LTD

The Sun Publishers LTD is headed by Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu a former Abia state governor, who was in power from 29^th May 1999 to 29^th May 2007. He is currently a member of the All Progressive Congress(APC) but at the time he served as a governor he was part of the People’s Democratic Party.

5. This Day

This Day newspaper is a national daily newspaper that was established on 1995, January 22^nd by Nduka Obaigbena. Although its headquarters are located in Apapa Lagos, Nigeria, it has two printing presses located in the federal capital territory Abuja and Lagos state.

Although established in 1995 it was noted for its colored print work that made it outstanding from other printing presses then, it was also the first newspaper to go digital in Africa setting it out to be a sustainable and forward-thinking organization.

This Day Publisher: LEADERS AND COMPANY

This publisher Leaders and company was established on 25^th January 1993 as a private liability company printing press. It has Nduka Obaigbena, Efe Damilola Obaigbena, Eka Olabisi Obaigbena, Idowu kenim Obaigbena and Eniola Bello as the directors of the publishing company.

4. The Guardian

The Guardian newspaper was established in 1983 by Alex Ibru and Stanley Macbuh. The pair established the paper as a weekly on 22^nd February 1983 and later updated it to a daily on the 4^th of July, 1983. The paper was established for top-notch journalism in Nigeria. The paper is an independent daily with no political affiliations. It is a paper that contains business news, politics, sports, business, technology, and opinion pieces. It is located in Lagos.

Guardian Newspaper Publisher: Guardian Newspaper LTD

3. The Nation

The Nation Newspaper was founded on 31^st July 2006 has Adeniyi Adesina as its Editor. It is a daily publication that encompasses national news, entertainment, sports, politics, business, feature stories, columns, and a magazine section. Its headquarters is located in Lagos, Nigeria. It also has printing presses in Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt.

The Nation Publisher: Vintage Press LTD

The Vintage Press LTD is owned by Mr. Bola Tinubu

2. Vanguard

The Vanguard newspaper was established in 1983, a national daily and a generalist paper. It was founded by Sam Amuka Pemu who was a prince, columnist, journalist, and publisher. It is a paper independent of political influence or affiliations. It has its headquarters in Lagos Nigeria. The paper is usually identified by the logo which is a big red letter V

Vanguard Publisher: Vanguard Media

The Vanguard Media was founded by Sam Amuka Pemu and is in charge of other vanguard related publications or media.

1. The Punch

The Punch newspaper established in 1973 was founded by James Aboderin and Sam Amuka. The newspaper was published by the pair with an apathetic view towards politics, instead of concentrating on social events however, the paper took on a political stance in the year 1983 and Sam Amuka left and decided to establish the vanguard paper. The paper’s headquarters is located in Lagos, Nigeria, and is popularly identified by its logo the red P with a line above it.

Publisher: Wale Aboderin

Gbadebowale Aboderin was a journalist, businessman, and sports administrator. He was chairman of The Punch newspaper up until his death in 2018.

Conclusion 

We have come to the end of the list of the top 10 newspapers in Nigeria. Although the aforementioned papers are still making waves throughout the nation in their physical form, they have seen the need to evolve with the new media and so in the last decade there have been online versions of the newspapers whether through apps or social media handles on all our favorite social media platforms or websites, they are available.

The criteria for the ratings done above were gathered with distribution and purchase of physical copies, social influence, advert rates, and visibility in the society.

Although the net worths of the publications are not made public; ad revenue in the last 10 years has accumulated to a 145 billion naira increase in the newspaper sector. So it is safe to say that as well as information function, it is also a lucrative venture.