10 Leading Nigerian Newspapers

Newspapers in Nigeria are many in number. With thousands of copies circulated nationwide, each day, the nation is always abreast of current happenings within and around the world. The Nigerian newspaper is an apologetic information bearer, exposing scandals and placing focus on spectacular occurrences. Newspapers such as The Punch, The Guardian, Daily Trust newspaper and more have taken news reporting to a whole new level

Here are 10 leading newspapers in Nigeria.

1. Table of Contents

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   The Punch

The Punch newspaper is a daily newspaper and one of the most widely read newspapers in Nigeria. The Punch newspaper was founded by two friends in 1970, James Aboderin, an accountant, and Sam Amuka, a columnist, and editor at the Daily Times of Nigeria. Amuka became the first editor of the Sunday Punch. In 1976, a few years after the first print of its Sunday edition, The Punch began printing as a daily newspaper. From regime after regime, detention after detention, story after story, The Punch newspaper has served the nation trustworthy news for over forty years, becoming one of the leading newspapers in the country.

2. Vanguard

Vanguard is a daily newspaper published by Vanguard Media, based in Lagos, Nigeria. The popular Vanguard Media was established in 1983 by veteran journalist Sam Amuka with three friends in 1983. Vanguard is one of the few newspapers in Nigeria that is known to be free from political control. Just like most media outlets, Vanguard have had their own fair share of political oppression. Today, they cover stories in a timely and accurate manner, keeping the nation abreast of all happenings.

3. The Guardian

The Guardian is an independent daily newspaper published in Lagos, Nigeria, by Guardian Newspapers Limited. Established in 1983 by Alex Ibru, an entrepreneur, and Stanley Macebuh, a top journalist with the Daily Times newspapers, The Guardian newspaper has evolved to become the most respected newspaper in Nigeria. The paper is a daily newspaper and is a pioneer of quality journalism. The Guardian started printing in February as a weekly newspaper sold on Sundays up until July of 1983, it began operating as a daily newspaper. Being one of the longest lasting newspapers in Nigeria the target audience of the newspaper is perceived to be the elites, as it focuses more on business content.

4. This Day

This Day is a Nigerian and national newspaper first published in January 1995 by Leaders & Company Ltd. It has its headquarters in Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria and owned by
Nduka Obaigbena. The publisher was noted for his early investment in colour printing, giving This Day a distinctive edge among the few durable national newspapers that exist in Nigeria. with a circulation of 100,000 daily, This Day is unique, because it provides refreshing content asides news. It almost doubles as a magazine.

5. The Nation

The Nation is a daily newspaper founded in 2006 and published in Lagos, Nigeria has its headquarters in Mushin. The Nation describes itself as a newspaper that stands for freedom, justice, and the market economy. The paper’s target audience can be described as the business and political elite, the affluent, the educated and the upwardly mobile. The newspaper covers business and economy, public policies, the democratic process and institutions of democracy, sports, arts and culture and was the first of its kind to achieve nationwide circulation in all 36 states within just two years of circulation. The Nation attained nationwide popularity due to its 8 paged Campus Life pull out publication which focused on campus journalists, news, and the likes.

6. Business Day

Business Day is daily business newspaper based in Lagos, Nigeria. Established in 2001, Business Day is the only Nigerian newspaper with a bureau in Accra, Ghana. It runs both daily and Sunday titles and it also circulates in both Nigeria and Ghana. Business Day Media Ltd is the leading medium for up-to-date news and insightful analysis of business, policy and the economy in Nigeria. The paper effectively serves its role as a critical decision-making tool for investors and managers by providing unbiased news and informed analysis on politics, governance, social and economic trends. Asides reporting business news and providing information, the paper has produced award winning journalists and organised forums to push the Nigerian market forward. Business Day is a leader in its category and is on of the top Nigerian newspapers.

7. The Sun

The Daily Sun is a Nigerian daily print newspaper founded and published in KiriKiri Industrial Layout, Lagos, Nigeria. The Sun was incorporated in 2001 and began printing as a weekly in January of 2003. Later the same year in June, the paper began printing as a daily paper. As of 2011, The Sun was the highest selling newspaper in the country, pushing a daily print run of 130,000 copies, and 135,000 for weekend titles, with an average of 80% sales.

8. Osun Defender

The Osun Defender founded in 2006, is a privately-owned tabloid newspaper that publishes news about Osun State, Nigeria, as well as national and other news. It is published by Moremi Publishing House Ltd, of Osogbo, Osun State. With a leading online platform, Osun Defender has traditionally served as the voice of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) political party. Though the paper is far from being free from political influence, it is one of the leading papers in the country.

9. Nigerian Tribune

The Nigerian Tribune is an English-language newspaper published in Ibadan in Nigeria. It was established in 1949 by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and is the oldest surviving private Nigerian newspaper. The newspaper is a part of Nigeria’s media history. In the colonial era, the newspaper served as the mouthpiece for Awolowo’s populist welfare programmes. It also played an important role in defending the interests of the Yoruba people in a period when different ethnic groups were struggling for ascendancy. The Nigerian Tribune over the years has remained fearless and objective, exposing public, private and political scandals, and providing both sides of the news story. With this quality, it has waxed stronger for throughout its almost seven decade run.

10. New Telegraph

The New Telegraph is an all-national newspaper in Nigeria, with a circulation of up to 100,000 copies per day. The New Telegraph is a daily paper that targets Nigerian and foreign readers in and around the country’s urban centres, as well as internationally, and aims to provide objective and incisive coverage of pressing political and socio-cultural issues. Featuring prominent domestic and foreign columnist, the New Telegraph is one of the leading Nigerian newspapers.