''The Guardian'' is a Nigerian independent daily newspaper, established in 1983, published by Guardian Newspapers Limited in Lagos, Nigeria

History

''The Guardian'' was established in 1983 by

Alex Ibru Alex Ibru (1 March 1945 – 20 November 2011) was a Nigerian people, Nigerian businessman, founder and publisher of ''The Guardian (Nigeria), The Guardian'' (Nigeria) newspaper, who was minister of internal affairs from 1993 to 1995 during the mi ...

, an entrepreneur, and Stanley Macebuh, a top journalist with the ''

Daily Times ''Daily Times'' may refer to the following national newspapers: * ''Daily Times'' (Nigeria), newspaper published in Nigeria * ''Daily Times'' (Pakistan), newspaper published in Pakistan ''The Daily Times'' may refer to the following newspapers: * ...

'' newspapers, with its model copied from the original '' The Guardian'' in the UK. ''The Guardian'' was a pioneer in introducing high-quality journalism to Nigeria with thoughtful editorial content. The paper was first published on 22 February 1983 as a weekly, appearing on Sundays. It started daily publication on 4 July 1983. 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. On 26 August 1989 ''The Guardian'' published a long letter by Dr.

Bekolari Ransome-Kuti Dr. Bekolari Ransome-Kuti (2 August 1940 – 10 February 2006) was a Nigerians, Nigerian physician known for his work as a human rights Activism, activist. Early life Ransome-Kuti was born in Abeokuta, Nigeria. His mother Funmilayo Ransome-Kut ...

, 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. The owner,

, 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. 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 Hamza Al-Mustapha (born 27 July 1960) is a former Nigerian Army major and intelligence officer who served as Chief Security Officer to General Sani Abacha, who was Nigeria's military head of state from 1993 until his sudden death on June 8, 199 ...

. Eventually, in December 2010 a Lagos High Court acquitted those accused of the attempt.

Content

''The Guardian'' is owned by a member of an

ethnic minority The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...

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 The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A ...

. ''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". ''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. However, ''The Guardian'' has often insisted that it caters to the interests of the different segments of the society, ranging from the most educated to the barely literate. ''The Guardian'' was described by '' The New York Times'' in 1988 as "Nigeria's most respected newspaper".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guardian Publications established in 1983 Newspapers published in Lagos English-language newspapers published in Africa 1983 establishments in Nigeria Companies based in Lagos Daily newspapers published in Nigeria