COI QUERY

Country of Origin Main subject The Question(s) Information on the newspaper the ‘Nigerian Observer’, in particular:

1. Where and how widely is it published? 2. How many and which types of versions are published? 3. Is the online version different from the printed one? 4. Which kind of printing system is used? 5. What are the ethical standards for publishing articles on this newspaper and what are the ethical practices of its journalists?

Date of completion 9 July 2018 Query Code Q91 Contributing EU+ COI units (if applicable)

Disclaimer

This response to a COI query has been elaborated according to the Common EU Guidelines for Processing COI and EASO COI Report Methodology.

The information provided in this response has been researched, evaluated and processed with utmost care within a limited time frame. All sources used are referenced. A quality review has been performed in line with the above mentioned methodology. This document does not claim to be exhaustive neither conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to international protection. If a certain event, person or organisation is not mentioned in the report, this does not mean that the event has not taken place or that the person or organisation does not exist. Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of a particular legal position.

The information in the response does not necessarily reflect the opinion of EASO and makes no political statement whatsoever.

The target audience is caseworkers, COI researchers, policy makers, and decision making authorities. The answer was finalised on the 9 July 2018. Any event taking place after this date is not included in this answer.

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COI QUERY RESPONSE

Information on the newspaper the ‘Nigerian Observer’

As stated on its website, the Nigerian Observer (also referred to as ‘the Observer’) is ‘a daily newspaper published in Benin City, (Nigeria), since 1968 by the Bendel Newspapers Company Limited (BNCL) and is owned by the Edo State Government’1. Such information is confirmed by the online catalogue2 of the US Library of Congress, the oldest and most important library of the United States3. According to the overview of the BNCL provided by the ‘Bloomberg’ web portal, this state-owned media company, located on 24 Airport Road PMB 1334, Benin City, and founded in 1968, ‘does not have any Key Executives recorded’4.

As specified by the Nigerian Observer itself in an article published in May 2018, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the newspaper’s foundation:

‘The newspaper, now Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, publishers of the Observer titles was published as document for daily circulation that would inform the public on the activities of the government of the then Midwest state, educate as well as provide a forum for a two way communication’5.

1. Place and method of publication

The ‘Daily Trust’, an -based national newspaper6, published in July 2016 an article about the challenges faced by the Nigerian Observer, stating that ‘its area of coverage and the daily circulation are limited’7, mainly to Edo State and the Nigerian capital Abuja, while in the past it was read throughout the country. The article specifies that:

‘In the past, the medium was reckoned with in the country, as it competed and outshone many other government-owned newspapers of its generation. But, as it [is] now, the newspaper is leveraging on the euphoria of its past. Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that back in the day, the newspaper was read all over the country, but at the moment its coverage is restricted to the state and its environs and sometimes circulated in certain areas of the Federal Capital Territory. Despite the difficulties faced by media houses in the country in terms of acquiring newsprint, the state government ensures that the newspaper is printed daily. A source told Daily Trust on Sunday that the newspaper now prints limited copies with many copies given out as complementary, mainly to government officials and offices’8.

1 The Nigerian Observer, About Us, n.d. (url). 2 Library of Congress, The Nigerian Observer, n.d. (url). 3 Library of Congress, About the LC [Library of Congress] Online Catalog, n.d. (url). 4 Bloomberg, Company Overview of Bendel Newspaper Company Limited, 6 July 2017 (url). 5 Nigerian Observer, 50 years of the Nigerian Observer on the news stand, 29 May 2018 (url). 6 The Daily Trust is a Nigerian newspaper providing information on business, politics and sports. It is owned by Ltd., one of the leading Media companies in Nigeria. For further information, see: Daily Trust, About Us, n.d. (url). 7 Daily Trust, The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016 (url). 8 Daily Trust, The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016 (url).

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Such information is corroborated by other sources, some of which refer to its wide circulation in the past decades, whereas others report on its decline over the last years. In a response to an information request on the Nigerian Observer’s circulation, dated January 1996, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) of Canada reported that ‘According to the 1991 edition of The World's News Media, the Nigerian Observer is a regional daily, with a Sunday edition. Weekday circulation in 1991 was 150,000’9.

Such figures are confirmed by the Nations Encyclopedia – a web portal providing information on the countries of the world as well as on the UN and its agencies10. On its overview of Nigeria’s media landscape, the Nations Encyclopedia refers to the Nigerian Observer as a national newspaper, whose estimated circulation was, in 2002, of 150,000 daily copies, making it the fourth most widely read newspapers in Nigeria. As stated in the source11:

‘In 2002 there were 26 major daily newspapers in Nigeria, some of them published by the federal or state governments. Leading Nigerian daily newspapers (with their 2002 estimated circulations) are’:

CIRCULATION

Daily Times (national) 400,000

National Concord () 200,000

Daily Champion (Lagos) 150,000

Nigerian Observer (national) 150,000

The Punch (national) 150,000

Nigerian Tribune (national) 109,000

New Democrat (Kaduna) 100,000 Nigerian Standard (Jos) 100,000

New Nigerian (national) 80,000

The Guardian (Lagos) 80,000

This Table is part of the quote mentioned above12

As stated previously, however, its circulation lowered over the last years, as confirmed by some sources. In a response to another information request on the Nigerian Observer’s weekend editions,

9 IRB (Canada), Nigeria: Additional information on a newspaper entitled Observer, 1 January 1996 (url). 10 Nations Encyclopedia, Home page, n.d. (url). 11 Nations Encyclopedia, Nigeria – Media, n.d. (url). 12 Nations Encyclopedia, Nigeria – Media, n.d. (url).

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dated January 2008, the IRB reports the testimony of the editor of ‘’, a Lagos-based newspaper13:

“‘it [the Nigerian Observer] has declined in the last few years as competition from the private media (such as The Punch) has intensified and its pro-government editorial slant has made it a hard sell in the present difficult market’”14.

This is confirmed by the aforementioned Daily Trust article, published in July 2016, which notes that ‘The newspaper’s popularity started declining with the proliferation of private newspapers in the country, as patronage shifted from government media to privately-owned ones’15.

Another reason behind its decline appears to be related to its financial unsustainability, as it was neglected by the Edo government despite being a state-owned media asset. The Daily Trust article (July 2016) reports the testimony of a former staff of the company, who stated that:

‘“the media house has not received any special attention since 1999, as it has been neglected by successive governments. The ex-staff said in the past the newspaper was famous and competed favourably with the likes of the and New Nigerian, but that things are no longer the same. The former staff noted that the newspaper depends on the government for virtually everything because the commercial department which ought to have been generating funds to complement subvention is not functioning”’16.

In this regard, it should be mentioned that plans to sell the Nigerian Observer due to its financial crisis have been reported by a few sources. According to the aforementioned Bloomberg’s overview of the BNCL (2017):

‘Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has said his administration will privatise The Nigerian Observer newspaper (owned by Bendel Newspapers Company Limited) and Edo Broadcasting Service. He said the privatisation had become necessary because the state media outfits were not self-sustaining’17.

Such information has also been reported by the ‘Naija Center News’18, an online news portal about Nigeria and Nigerians in diaspora19, and the ‘All Time Post’20, a general-interest online newspaper published in the United States21. However, as reported in March 2018 by ‘Today.ng’, a digital news

13 The Punch is a widely read Lagos-based newspaper in existence since the early 1970s. See: The Punch, Home, n.d. (url). 14 IRB (Canada), Nigeria: Whether "The Weekend Observer" newspaper exists; a copy of The Weekend Observer, Vol. XI, No. 1,751, Saturday, April 24, 2004, 31 January 2008 (url). 15 Daily Trust, The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016 (url). 16 Daily Trust, The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016 (url). 17 Bloomberg, Company Overview of Bendel Newspaper Company Limited, 6 July 2017 (url). 18 Naija Center News, Edo govt to privatize Nigerian Observer Newspaper, EBS, 7 July 2017 (url). 19 For more information, see: Naija Center News, About us, n.d. (url). 20 All Time Post, Breaking! The Nigerian Observer up for grab as Edo govt plans privatization, n.d. (url). 21 For more information, see: All Time Post, About us, n.d. (url).

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site focused on Nigeria and world news coverage22, and the ‘Concise’, a Lagos-based media house23, the Edo State Government denied all alleged plans to sell the Nigerian Observer24.

2. Number and types of versions published by the Nigerian Observer

As mentioned in an article published on its online edition in May 2018, the Nigerian Observer has a weekend edition and a Sunday edition:

‘In the stable of the Bendel Newspapers Company Limited are The Nigerian Observer (Daily), The Weekend Observer and The Sunday Observer with corporate headquarters situated at 24 Airport Road, Benin City. It was five months after the birth of the Nigerian Observer that its sister, weekly, the Sunday Observer was established during the Nigerian civil war’25.

The article further specifies that ‘the Sunday Observer was established on October 27 1968, [...] and the Weekend Observer in October 6, 1990’26.

Such information is corroborated by other sources, among which, in particular, the aforementioned online catalog of the US Library of Congress27, and the Inventory of Newspapers and Magazines published in Nigeria28 produced by the Nigerian Press Council (NPC), a parastatal organisation established to ensure the maintenance of high professional standards for the Nigerian Press29.

3. Online and printed versions

Among all sources consulted and within the timeframe allocated to respond to this Query, no information could be found on the differences between the online and printed versions of the Nigerian Observer. However, scans of some printed issues can be found on ‘Issuu’, an online media portal where publications can be uploaded and distributed worldwide30. In particular:

- the Nigerian Observer, 9 May 1013 - the Weekend Observer, 29 November 2014

22 Today.ng, an independent online news organisation with a main focus on Nigeria as well as world news reaches – as stated in its website – ‘an influential audience of approximately two million readers each month in many countries’. For more information, see: Today.ng, About, n.d. (url). 23 For further information, see: Concise, About Us, n.d. (url). 24 Today.ng, Edo government denies alleged plans to sell Observer Newspaper, EBS, 22 March 2018 (url); Concise, Obaseki Debunks Plans To Sell Nigerian Observer, 22 March 2018 (url). 25 Nigerian Observer, 50 years of the Nigerian Observer on the news stand, 29 May 2018 (url). 26 Nigerian Observer, 50 years of the Nigerian Observer on the news stand, 29 May 2018 (url). 27 LC, The Nigerian Observer, n.d. (url). 28 NPC, Inventory of Newspapers and Magazines published in Nigeria, n.d. (url). 29 As stated in its website, ‘Like most other Press Councils around the world, the functions of the Nigerian Press Council revolve around ethical standards’. For further information, see: NPC, About Us, n.d. (url). 30 As stated in its website, ‘Each day more than 20,000 newly uploaded publications become instantly available’ in Issuu. For further information, see: Issuu, About, n.d. (url).

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Moreover, the website of the Nigerian Observer offers an archive section to search for past editions. Nevertheless, it must be noted that the search function was not operational at the time of consultation.

4. Printing system in use

Among all sources consulted and within the timeframe allocated to respond to this Query, no information could be found on the printing system used by the publisher of the Nigerian Observer.

However, some sources report a critical situation as concerns the technical and the digital equipment of its offices. In particular, the aforementioned Daily Trust article (July 2016) reports that ‘Major challenges facing the newspaper, according to findings, include obsolete machines and shortage of staff’31. The article also reports the testimony of another former staff of the company, who stated that:

‘At a time, the newspaper had an aircraft that was circulating copies across the country,” he said. He lamented that everything about the paper, including environment, printing, circulation, machines and number of copies have continued to decline’32.

Disappointment for the conditions of the newspaper’s facilities have also been expressed by the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who also hinted at plans to revamp the state-owned news outfit. As reported in an article published in August 2017 on the ‘’, a Lagos-based daily newspaper33:

‘A similar feeling of disappointment was expressed by the governor at the facilities of the Nigerian Observer, publishers of the Observer titles established by the late Brig. General Samuel Ogbemudia (rtd.) fifty years ago. Obaseki said he was in consultation with media experts to come up with a clear roadmap on what to do with the newspaper company’34.

5. Ethical standards for publishing articles on this newspaper and ethical practices of its journalists

Among all sources consulted and within the timeframe allocated to respond to this Query, no information could be found with regard to the ethical standards for publishing articles on the Nigerian Observer nor on the ethical practices of its journalists.

It should be noted that a set of ethical requirements for the profession of journalism in Nigeria are contained in the 1998 ‘Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists’, approved and ratified by the ‘Nigerian Press Organisation’ and published by the ‘Nigerian Press Council’ (NPC)35.

31 Daily Trust, The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016 (url). 32 Daily Trust, The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016 (url). 33 Vanguard newspaper is published by Vanguard Media Limited, founded in 1984. The newspaper mainly circulates copies in Lagos and in the capital Abuja but is also read in other parts of Nigeria. For more information, see Vanguard, About Us, n.d. (url). 34 Vanguard, Obaseki to revamp EBS, Observer, 14 August 2017 (url). 35 NPC, Code of Ethics for Nigerian journalists, 20 Marc 1998 (url).

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With regard to the general ethical practices within Nigeria’s media landscape, some media reports have long deplored36 a widespread phenomenon of corruption within the journalism sector in the country. In particular, the so-called ‘brown envelope journalism’ or ‘cash for news report’ refers to a system of bribery whereby journalists ‘are given brown envelopes […] by government minister, agency, ministry, individual or a corporate organization, to colour the truth, tell a lie, stop or publish a story’37.

The corruption phenomenon within the journalism sector in Nigeria is confirmed by the ‘Freedom of the Press 2017’ report produced by ‘Freedom House’. In the case of Nigeria, the organisation reports that ‘Bribery and corruption remain problems in the media industry, particularly in the form of small cash gifts that sources give to journalists’38.

As reported in an online article published by the ‘Ethical Journalism Network’ – a registered UK charity gathering more than 60 groups of journalists, editors, press owners and media support groups39 - this phenomenon is possible also because some media organisations are failing to guarantee adequate remuneration to their staff’40.

As specifically concerns the Nigerian Observer – which, as mentioned in the previous sections, has been recently confronted with numerous difficulties – the situation of its staff does not appear clear. According to a former staff of the newspaper interviewed by the ‘Daily Trust’ for an article dated July 2016, ‘the paper is short of staff because most of the casual workers under the Edo State Youths Empowerment Scheme (EDO-YES), the now defunct poverty alleviation interventionist agency of the government, were sacked’41. However, the same article also states that ‘worthy of note is the fact that despite these challenges, the staff are not being owed salaries like other civil servants in the state’, suggesting they are still being paid by the state despite the encountered shortcomings42.

It is worth mentioning that Femi Adsina, the Nigerian Presidential Advisor of Media and Publicity – in an interview with Al Jazeera (2015) reported by the IRB – stated that, in general and not necessarily referring to the journalists of The Nigerian Observer, ‘"even some [journalists] who are well-paid"’ take brown envelopes43.

Nevertheless, among the sources consulted, no information on recent cases of bribery or brown envelope involving the Nigerian Observer’s journalists have been found.

36 BBC, Nigeria’s ‘brown envelope journalism’, 5 March 2015 (url); Al Jazeera, Nigeria’s ‘brown envelope’ journalists, 13 September 2015 (url); Al Jazeera, Bribes and brown envelopes: Nigeria’s ‘journalists’, 27 December 2015 (url); Xclusive, Brown envelope journalism: how Nigeria came to this sorry pass, 9 March 2015 (url); 37 Salihu, M., Ethical implications of collecting brown envelope by Nigerian journalists, proceedings of International Institute of Science, Technology, Engineering and Management (IASTEM) International Conference, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 23-24 December 2017, p. 2 (url). 38 Freedom House, Freedom of the Press 2017 – Nigeria Profile, 1 November 2017 (url). 39 The Ethical Journalism Network aims to promote ‘high ethical standards in media through education, training and publication of useful research’. For further information, see: Ethical Journalism Network, Who we are, n.d. (url). 40 Ethical Journalism Network, Nigeria: calls for ethical revival as corruption infects media, n.d. (url). 41 Daily Trust, The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016 (url). 42 Daily Trust, The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016 (url). 43 IRB (Canada), Nigeria: Brown envelope journalism, including types of publications that are affected; efforts to combat the phenomenon (2015-November 2017), 3 November 2017 (url).

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SOURCES USED

Al Jazeera,

Bribes and brown envelopes: Nigeria’s ‘journalists’, 27 December 2015, (https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2015/12/bribes-brown-envelopes- nigeria-journalists-151227175941010.html), accessed 2 July 2018.

Nigeria’s ‘brown envelope’ journalists, 13 September 2015, (https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2015/09/nigeria-brown-envelope- journalists-150913113556304.html), accessed 5 July 2018.

All Time Post, Breaking! The Nigerian Observer up for grab as Edo govt plans privatization, n.d., (http://www.alltimepost.com/2017/07/breakingthe-nigerian-observer-up-for-grab-as-edo-govt- plans-privatization/#sthash.6xguTYQ2.28yFyQ6A.dpbs), accessed 5 July 2018.

BBC, Nigeria’s ‘brown envelope journalism’, 5 March 2015, (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa- 31748257), accessed 4 July 2018.

Bloomberg, Company Overview of Bendel Newspaper Company Limited, 6 July 2017, (https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=529754839), accessed 2 July 2018.

Concise (Nigeria), Obaseki Debunks Plans To Sell Nigerian Observer, 22 March 2018, (https://www.concisenews.global/2018/03/22/obaseki-debunks-plans-to-sell-nigerian-observer/), accessed 4 July 2018.

Daily Trust (Nigeria), The Nigerian Observer: Surviving on past glory, 24 July 2016, (https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/media/the-nigerian-observer-surviving-on-past- glory/156528.html), accessed 4 July 2018.

Ethical Journalism Network, Nigeria: calls for ethical revival as corruption infects media, n.d., (https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/resources/publications/untold-stories/nigeria), accessed 5 July 2018.

Freedom House, Freedom of the Press 2017 – Nigeria Profile, 1 November 2017, (https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2017/nigeria), accessed 2 July 2018.

Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), Canada,

Nigeria: Additional information on a newspaper entitled Observer, 1 January 1996, (http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aad488.html), accessed 5 July 2018.

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Nigeria: Brown envelope journalism, including types of publications that are affected; efforts to combat the phenomenon (2015-November 2017), 3 November 2017, (http://www.refworld.org/docid/5a82f31d4.html), accessed 3 July 2018.

Nigeria: Whether "The Weekend Observer" newspaper exists; a copy of The Weekend Observer, Vol. XI, No. 1,751, Saturday, April 24, 2004, 31 January 2008, (http://www.refworld.org/docid/47d6546d23.html), accessed 3 July 2018.

Issuu,

Nigerian Observer, 29 November 2014, (https://issuu.com/nigerian_observer/docs/nigerian_observer_29-11-2014/29), accessed 4 July 2018.

Nigerian Observer, 9 May 2013, (https://issuu.com/nigerian_observer/docs/nigerian_observer_friday-05-2013/3), accessed 4 July 2018.

Library of Congress (US), The Nigerian Observer, n.d., (https://www.loc.gov/item/sn2006058232/), accessed 2 July 2018.

Naija Center News (Nigeria), Edo govt to privatize Nigerian Observer Newspaper, EBS, 7 July 2017, (https://www.naijacenter.com/news/edo-govt-privatize-nigerian-observer-newspaper-ebs/), accessed 3 July 2018.

Nations Encyclopedia, Nigeria – Media, n.d., (http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Nigeria- MEDIA.html), accessed 4 July 2018.

Nigerian Observer, 50 years of the Nigerian Observer on the news stand, 29 May 2018, (https://nigerianobservernews.com/2018/05/50-years-of-the-nigerian-observer-on-the-news- stand/), accessed 3 July 2018.

Nigerian Press Council (NPC),

Code of Ethics for Nigerian journalists, 20 Marc 1998, (http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/CI/WPFD2009/pdf/Nigeria....cod e%20of%20ethics.pdf), accessed 4 July 2018.

Inventory of Newspapers and Magazines published in Nigeria, 2013 (http://www.presscouncil.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/inventory-of-NEWSPAPERS- AND-MAGAZINES-PUBLISHED-IN-NIGERIA1.pdf), accessed 2 July 2018.

Salihu, M., Ethical implications of collecting brown envelope by Nigerian journalists, proceedings of IASTEM [International Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering and Management] International Conference, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 23-24 December 2017, (http://www.worldresearchlibrary.org/up_proc/pdf/1300-15184392021-5.pdf), accessed 3 July 2018.

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Today.ng (Nigeria), Edo government denies alleged plans to sell Observer Newspaper, EBS, 22 March 2018, (https://www.today.ng/news/politics/edo-government-denies-alleged-plans-sell-observer- newspapers%E2%80%8B-ebs-99236), accessed 3 July 2018.

Vanguard (Nigeria), Obaseki to revamp EBS, Observer, 14 August 2017, (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/obaseki-revamp-ebs-observer/), accessed 3 July 2018.

SOURCES CONSULTED

Adeyemi, A., Nigerian media and corrupt practices: the need for paradigm shift, in European Scientific Journal (vol.9, No.1), January 2013, (https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/viewFile/698/746), accessed 3 July 2018.

All time post, Govt to strengthen BNCL for optimal performance – Ohonbamu, n.d., (http://www.alltimepost.com/2017/07/govt-to-strengthen-bncl-for-optimal-performance- ohonbamu/#sthash.xxVVmNwG.X7UOUmuA.dpbs), accessed 3 July 2018.

Azuka Omenugha, K. & Oji, M., News commercialization, ethics and objectivity in journalism practice in Nigeria: strange bedfellows?, in Communication Studies, December 2016, (http://www.ec.ubi.pt/ec/03/html/omenugha-oji-news-commercialization.html), accessed 4 July 2018.

Daily Trust (Nigeria), A call for Free Press in Nigeria, 11 May 2018, (https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/a- call-for-free-press-in-nigeria-250013.html), accessed 3 July 2018.

EASO, EASO Country of Origin Information Report – Nigeria Country Focus, July 2017, (https://coi.easo.europa.eu/administration/easo/PLib/EASO_Country_Focus_Nigeria_June2017.pdf), accessed 3 July 2018.

Eke, I. W., Brown envelope syndrome and the future of journalism in Nigeria, in International Interdisciplinary Journal of Scientific Research (Vol.1, No.1), September 2014, (http://www.iijsr.org/data/frontImages/gallery/16.pdf), accessed 4 July 2018.

Maringues, M., The Nigerian Press: Current state, travails and prospects, in Nigeria during the Abacha Years (1993-1998) (Institut français de recherche en Afrique), 4 Avril 2013, (https://books.openedition.org/ifra/623), accessed 4 July 2018.

Media Landscapes, Nigeria, 6 July 2018 (https://medialandscapes.org/country/nigeria), accessed 3 July 2018.

Nigerian Observer, World Press Freedom Day: Obaseki Charges Journalists On Ethics, Independence … Salutes Journalists’ Courage, Says No Alternative To Free Press …OBSERVER, EBS Up For Revamp, 2 May 2018, (https://nigerianobservernews.com/2018/05/world-press-freedom-day-obaseki-charges- journalists-on-ethics-independence-salutes-journalists-courage-says-no-alternative-to-free-press- observer-ebs-up-for-revamp/), accessed 2 July 2018.

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Open Society Foundations, Mapping digital media: Nigeria, 2 June 2012, (https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/mapping-digial-media-nigeria- 20120813.pdf), accessed 5 July 2018.

Oxford Business Group, Nigeria’s media landscape undergoes rapid change, n.d., (https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/engaging-modern-audience-sector-undergoes-period- rapid-change), accessed 4 July 2018.

Premium Times (Nigeria), Nigerian Journalists and ‘Brown Envelopes’ by Elor Nkereuwem, 30 July 2012, (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/93677- nigerian_journalists_and_brown_envelopes.html), accessed 3 July 2018.

Sun (the) (Nigeria), Poor wages as incentive for unethical journalism, n.d., (http://sunnewsonline.com/poor-wages-as-incentive-for-unethical-journalism/), accessed 2 July 2018.

Xclusive Magazine, Brown envelope journalism: how Nigeria came to this sorry pass, 9 March 2015, (http://xclusive.ng/brown-envelope-journalism-how-nigeria-came-to-this-sorry-pass/), accessed 4 July 2018.

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