The Guardian was established in 1983 byAlex Ibru, an entrepreneur, and Stanley Macebuh, a top journalist with theDaily Times newspapers, with its model copied fromThe Guardian in the UK.The Guardian was a pioneer in introducing high-quality journalism to Nigeria with thoughtful editorial content.[2] The paper was first published on 22 February 1983 as a weekly, appearing on Sundays. It started daily publication on 4 July 1983.[3]
During the administration of GeneralMuhammadu Buhari, reporters Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor were both sent to jail in 1984 under Decree No. 4 of 1984, which suppressed journalistic freedom.[4][5] On 26 August 1989The 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.[6]
The owner,Alex Ibru, escaped an assassination attempt during the military regime of GeneralSani 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.[7] Following Abacha's sudden death in June 1998, legal proceedings began against his sonMohammed Abacha and his Chief Security Officer MajorHamza al-Mustapha. Eventually, in December 2010 a Lagos High Court acquitted those accused of the attempt.[8][9]
The Guardian has a national outlook in terms of reach and content. It claims to be independent of any ethnic group, religious community,political party or otherinterest group.[10]The Guardian is the main competitor toThe Punch for advertising, although not for circulation. UnlikeThe Punch, it focuses on business content rather than on what the editor ofThe Punch refers to as "appeal to the working classes".[11]The Guardian claims to be read by the most educated section of the elite, whileThe Punch can be understood by anyone with basic literacy. Other Nigerian papers fall between these extremes.[12] 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 byThe New York Times in 1988 as "Nigeria's most respected newspaper".[13]
Guardian Life Magazine (also known asThe Guardian Life or Life Magazine) is a Nigerian lifestyle and entertainment magazine founded byThe Guardian, and published by Guardian Newspapers Limited since 2005. The first issue of the magazine was published as a column inThe Guardian newspaper weekly on Sundays, till 2013, when the magazine published its first solo issue.[14] In 2013, Tabia Princewill took over as Editor-in-chief. Under her leadership, the magazine was revamped asLife Magazine and published its first print issue.
In 2019, Njideka Agbo became Editor-in-chief till 2022.[15]
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