One of Nigeria’s most widely accepted and influential newspapers is The Punch Newspaper. It has managed to stay relevant for over 50 years.
The current circulation of The Punch is about 80,000 units. The most widely read Newsbooklet is The Punch newspaper. When a typical Nigerian hears the phrase “Newspaper,” they immediately think of The Punch.
Below is a well-drafted history of Punch Newspaper, its mode of operation, and lots more.
Punch Newspaper History
The Punch newspaper was founded in the year 1971. The purpose of its founding was to inform the populace of the nation’s present state of affairs. We learned that it was a post-colonial era as Nigeria had just gained Independence 11 years before that time.
The country herself was still in her infancy and along with other aspects of her press & the information industry. It is not to say that there were no other newspapers or sources of information for the public. The press and other news media contributed greatly to facilitating the independence of the country.
Founded by two close friends, The Punch newspaper. Friends who are looking into a modern platform for spreading information to the public at that time.
The founders are James Aboderin who is a well-known accountant and his friend Sam Amuka. Sam was working for the Daily Times of Nigeria, a competitor of the Punch at the time.
They spent years formulating a plan, building the layout that would later become the foundation of The Punch newspaper. The plan was to best the already-known newspaper at that time with better and updated information. Quality materials with edible letters, and an entertaining medium for everyone in general.
Well, there was enough delay and anticipation by the public of what the newspaper would look like. In March of 1973, The Punch published the very first edition of their newspaper.
Ajibade Fashina Thomas served as the Sunday Punch’s initial editor when it first debuted on newsstands.
The vision behind the Sunday edition of Punch newspaper is a combination of serious journalism of top popular news. There is something for everyone because it also incorporates some popular culture and entertainment. That was a new development in the press industry, especially with newspapers.
This led to a groundbreaking success right almost right out of the gate.
The daily tabloid was introduced in 1976. This is the Punch newspaper we are familiar with today. Punch Newspaper is now a daily newspaper rather than a weekly publication.
This new idea helps Punch to exploit the inadequacies of its rivals. Also, that of its competitors as it creates a balance between information on one hand and entertainment on the other. This produced a masterpiece that was socially entertaining and journalism oriented.
The result was more than impressive but this is not to say everyone was in love with it.
Government officials and the general people both made some attempts to stifle or stop Punch. This was a result of some people describing it as unorthodox and seductive.
James Aboderin and Sam Amuka were among the several Punch newspaper staff who faced harassment or incarceration at the time.
It was so bad that some government officials used military force to slow down its overall circulation all over Nigeria.
Punch Newspaper: The Company
The vision of the company plays a big part in its long-standing success of the company. And with the strict competition in the Nigeria press media with many setbacks it encountered.
Both The first editor of the paper and the chairwoman of the paper were fantastic. They were able to establish a well-set leadership structure.
The chairwoman of the board was Mrs. Angela Emuwa. She led the newspaper forward with great expectations with her ability to deliver a perfect work of art.
Punch Newspaper Circulation
As earlier mentioned, The Punch Nigeria newspaper and some other publications which include the Saturday Punch and Sunday Punch have a total volume of 80,000 Units of paper in circulation.
This reflects the competency and hard work of the managing director and other corporate officials too as well as the editorial staff of the company.
The Punch periodicals are a huge success because they listen, respond, and write to the taste of the Nigerian people and the World in general.
Punch Newspaper Press Freedom
Time has changed, The Freedom of the press across Nigeria was not what it is today, it was more difficult, especially during the 1980s and 1990s which affected The Punch as a lot of political pressure was mounted on them.
The editor of The punch was jailed in 1990 for almost two months, to make matter worse the newspaper was shut down between 1993 -1994 and was directed by Nigerian leaders.
Punch Newspaper Criticism
The Punch newspaper is full of criticism and controversy.
Some think that it is a media with an anti-government agenda that brings a lot of heat and hate to the government and the people unnecessary. they feel that the paper loves to stir up trouble unnecessarily between the government and its people.
Others feel like It is the job of the press to expose the rottenness in society, especially in politics and that is what makes it unique and different from other newspapers, they feel this contributed greatly to its popularity and that is why the paper had received a lot of attention by the public.
Punch Newspaper Awards
The punch newspaper has received a lot of awards over the years with writers, columnists, and editors bagging awards every now and then.
In recent years, the Promasidor recognition was won by two correspondents at the 2016 Quill Awards. Even recently in 2019, the publication was tagged to be the most popular daily in Nigeria and won the Newspaper of the Year award from Nigeria Media Merit.
