130 Country Report: Information Network

Traditional Sources:

Vanguard News : https://www.vanguardngr.com/

Vanguard news is one of Nigeria’s most successful English newspapers, covering the country’s topics since 1984. Vanguard’s motto since their original maiden copy has been “towards a better life for the people”. The aim is to serve credible and accurate news to the people, commit to free enterprise, the rule of law, and governance. Vanguard has a very broad approach to their news that they find an outlet for just about every type of person. They issue out the Daily Vanguard, Saturday Vanguard and Sunday Vanguard which include subsections in sports, politics, medicine, and tech. The source is updated by the current editor Eze Anaba. Prior to him, there were 5 different editors who served as the main editor of the Vanguard. I believe this is a good source to use because Vanguard is highly renowned for its professionalism and speed in the news industry. Additionally, each Vanguard purchased typically goes through the hands of nearly 10 different Nigerians prior to being discarded. With a source that has such a wide range of readers, it is bound to have a certain level of establishment. Vanguard is written in English.

Premium Times: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/

Premium Times is a relatively young news source which was launched in Abuja, Nigeria in 2011. The C-Suite of this organization has “a vision to help strengthen Nigeria’s democracy, advance the socio-economic wellbeing and rights of the people, promote and enrich their cultural practices, and advocate for best practices, good governance, transparency and human rights, in line with the values expected of a modern democratic state”. The Premium Times Services Limited has faith in a brighter future in Nigeria who believe that news has a vital part on that, and will bring that to fruition with their services. The Premium Times focuses on business, health, investigations, agricultures, arts, sports, as well as their own projects. I believe that this will be an excellent source because they are a young organization who is committed to a brighter democracy in Nigeria, who conducts investigations, and has multiple ongoing projects with SARS, parliament watch, and a Data Hub. The Premium Times are written in English.

PM News: https://pmnewsnigeria.com/

PM news is an afternoon newspaper that is located in Lagos, Nigeria. PM news was launched in 1984 and it is dedicated to delivering entertaining and accurate news. Their main focus is delivering Nigerian news however they do still cover news from all over the world. One cool feature about this web site is they have a category called fact check, in which they provide updates on information that public figures have stated and hold them accountable to making their claims. PM news prides themselves on being a newspaper that caters to every single reader. It is written in English.

The Punch https://punchng.com/about-us/

The Punch is a newspaper and magazine source which was founded in 1970 in Nigeria. Their core mission was designed to inform, educate, and entertain Nigerians and the world at large. This source is updated daily by editors and writers who contribute more breaking stories and news to the website. I believe this will be a good source for me to use because it is an international news source which updates millions of people daily, but was primarily focused on Nigerians and started there. The Punch is written in English.

New Media:

Linda Ikeji’s Blog https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/

Linda Ikeji started her blog in 2006 and it has been one of the hottest websites visited in Nigeria for news since then. Linda is the sole editor and writer for all the articles on page and does an excellent job at it. One would think that she would have a niche audience, but Linda covers a wide range of topics which attracts audiences of all sorts. According to Ikeji’s description she covers; “News, Events, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Fashion, Beauty, Inspiration and yes… Gossip! *Wink*”. It is typically assumed that bloggers don’t have the most credible posts; however, millions of Nigerians subscribe to Linbda Ikeji and judge their viewpoints based on her opinion. Although, I probably won’t use this website too much for facts, this will be a good source to consider what local Nigeria’s perspective looks like. Linda Ikeji’s blog is written in English.

Sahara Reporters: https://saharareporters.com/
Shara Reporters is a website where multiple journalists come together to report accurate credible news from a Nigerian-African perspective. They were founded in the spirit of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which emphasizes free speech. They have a strong commitment to anti-corruption and utilize photo, text, and documents to expose ongoing sanctioned corruption, Destruction of the environment, and harmful activity to citizens. Sahara reporters are constantly updated in English. They’re a great organization that serves to act in the benefit of public interest and Protect free speech.

Bella Naija: https://www.bellanaija.com/

Bella Naija is a Blog that was started in 2006 which is one of Nigeria’s most famous written blogs. They cover information ranging from Nollywood, to celebrity relationships, and the inside scoop on ongoing rumors about celebrities. A big topic on this page is that they cover celebrity weddings and release photos and media regarding famous weddings so the public can feel like they enjoyed the wedding. Bella Naija Also hosts and advertises events happening in Nigeria, such as the Homecoming festival occurring next week in Lagos. It is written in English and they have a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Social Media:

Mark Angel https://www.youtube.com/c/MarkAngelComedyfunny

Youtube is one of the leading social media platforms in Nigeria and Mark Angel is one of the top content creators in Nigeria. He makes short movie and video skits regarding communal problems in Nigeria. Mark posts on Youtube nearly 3 times a week and averages about 300,000 views per video. His videos are very relatable to the average Nigerian because they have oftentimes seen situations such as the skits that he depicts. This would be a great source to analyze what Nigerian like in their entertainment, as well as how individuals intercept with each other in a community environment. Mark Angel’s skits are in English.

360NoBS: https://360nobs.com.ng/

360 Nobs in all around entertainment and lifestyle websites. It was started by Noble Igwe, who is a Nigerian influencer, icon and entrepreneur. The website brings its readers all the latest news, fashion tips, music. They are famous for putting together extravagant parties, and they write about what happened, who wore what, and how it was executed. This social media outlet has a lot of followers and influence in the Nigerian sphere so I believe it was important to include it. The posts are written in English.

NotJustOk: https://notjustok.com/

NotJustOk is a popular music website that is responsible for updating important information in the Nigeria music industry. It was started with the intention of spreading Nigeria music around the world and uplifting new artists. It was founded by Ademola Ogundele in 2006 and has seen remarkable growth over the years and is incredibly used by Nigerians and neighboring African countries. It is the most visited page to hear about upcoming Nigerian music, interviews, and videos. It is updated in English.

Data Source:

National Bureau of Statistics: https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/

The National Bureau of Statistics in Nigeria is the official data source in Nigeria. They are backed by the government of Nigeria, and most of their data collected through governmental organizations. They collect and track data in health, oil, stocks, commodities, and transportation. They even have an E-library in which people from all over the world can visit their website and access information regarding Nigeria’s infrastructure. I believe this is an incredibly good source because it has a ton of information dating back so many years, and backed by their national agency.

Nigeria Data Portal: https://nigeria.opendataforafrica.org/

Nigeria data portal is a website that covers statistics and information about Nigerian economy, politics, and general census trends. They have provided information by state specifically as well as Nigeria as a whole country. There is an option to search specific data sets by category to be able to easily access the desired data. All the information is public and it is able to be exported as a PDF file. The information and charts are all in English.

HuruMap: https://nigeria.hurumap.org/
HuruMap is an open data source that partners with the Open Data for statistics in Nigeria to deliver a more accurate picture to a story. Their motto is “helping storytellers use data to add context and depth to story”. They provide the public with easily accessible data, which is constantly updated and verified by the National Bureau of Statistics to ensure accurate information. Their key economics figures are even broken down specifically by levels includingKey Economic figures are broken down by category: Demographics, Household Surveys, Service Delivery, Economics and Education. All of the information is in English.

Radio:

Lagos Talks 91.3 FM : https://mytuner-radio.com/radio/lagos-talks-913-fm-437733/

Lagos Talks was one of the radio stations that I came across when searching for radio outlets in Nigeria. Lagos Talks is a 24/7 radio station which has various segments airing throughout the day including; The Early Edition, The Midday Show, The Afternoon Ride, The Late Edition, The Live Drive, and Main Hosts. Each of these stations cover topics relating to Politics, Sports, News, Business, Leadership, Health, Parenting, and Relationships in which listeners can call in and partake in the debates. Lagos Talks plays music in between their segments to keep the listeners engaged. This would be a good source to find out more about individual opinions of people in Lagos and what is on their mind. The radio stations are played in English.

Channels Television: https://www.channelstv.com/

Channels television is an award winning media outlet that has 24-hour television airing on their website. They also have a radio channel as well as host podcasts ranging from Finance, politics, and general entertainment. It was founded in 1992 by veteran broadcasters located in Lagos but has grown to several stations in multiple states. They pride themselves on providing information that covers both sides of the political spectrum and can cater to all audiences. Nearly 20 million people, about 17% of the population, tune into channels television about once a week. All of their content is broadcasted in English.

TVC NEWS: https://www.tvcnews.tv/

TVC News is a news channel in Nigeria that covers new stories in Nigeria as well as all over the world. They cover politics, health, business, education, and many other topical issues. A cool feature about TVC is that you can watch live TV on their website at any point from anywhere in the world. They also double down as an online news website which covers all the similar issues as well. All of the content is in English.

Additional:
Nairaland: https://www.nairaland.com/

Nairaland Is an online Forum page where users can talk about and discuss their opinions on Pacific topics occurring in Nigeria. It is a very similar layout to Pinterest or Tumblr in the United States. It was founded in 2005, and it has over two million registered members talking about six million topics. It ranges from people talking about their opinions on current politics to even people securing short-term internships. Majority of the content is written in English.

Hot Nigerian Jobs: https://www.hotnigerianjobs.com/

Hot Nigerian Jobs is a company where employers and companies post job openings so incoming employees can seek opportunities. I believe it was important to include this website just because the news of a job opening is a very relevant piece of information in a community and this is the most famous and visited job search page in Nigeria. Their company motto is embrace opportunity and create possibility. They emphasized people being the most important thing in the world and they display that by providing them a job. All the content is in English.

Naija Loaded: https://www.naijaloaded.com.ng/about-us

Naijaloaded is an online platform that delivers Nigerian music, videos, and entertainment. discredited as the most visited page for Nigerian entertainment. They have over 120 million users on their website monthly. They were voted best Nigerian online platform in 2011 just one year after their initial launch. They’re currently in the top ten of most visited Nigerian websites and hope to do so for the next decade as well. They also have a talk Zone page on their website which allows Nigerians to comment on controversial posts and discuss entertainment topics. All the content is in English.

Search process: My search process was fairly easy. As the national language of Nigeria is English, it was extremely easy to access and look up information about these news sources. I started with initial searches just looking at Nigerian media and news, then later would go look at specific websites. When I found myself at a wall, I looked up the most visited Nigerian websites and would begin by exploring those initial pages. I thought this assignment was very informative and helped me grasp how different media outlets are in different countries.