MIDWEST Newspaper Corporation, now Bendel Newspaper Company Limited, Publisher of the OBSERVER Titles, was established by Late Brig-General Samuel Ogbemudia, on May 29, 1968, during his tenure as the military administrator of the state.
The paper at inception was published as a document which circulated daily to help inform the public on the Midwestern State as an interface between government and the people as well as being the mechanism through which government got feedback from its citizens.
In the same vein, the Midwest Broadcasting Service, now known as the Edo Broadcasting Radio/Television Service was established in the same year to promote the free flow of informative, entertaining and educative information.
The OBSERVER Newspaper has continued to strive in the face of stiff competition from privately owned and managed media platforms; it has continued with its mission of being a veritable tool for information dissemination.
Even when cynics tag the paper, “OBSERVER…Omonotoghe,” due perhaps to its penchant for reflecting government’s position, it must be realized that reporters of this establishment have not always had a rosy reception from government when they strayed from set path.
What easily comes to mind was its fearless reportage climaxing with the Mineri Amachire incident involving then Rivers State Military Governor, Alfred Diette Spiff. Rivers State as at then comprised Bayelsa State. In the widely reported news report of 1973, Mineri Amachire, Rivers State correspondent for the NIGERIAN OBSERVER wired a story to his office, the Nigerian Observer about teachers strike taking place on the same day the Military Governor was having his birth day anniversary and the Military Governor felt insulted about the coincidence and was seen as a report calculated to embarrass the government. As would be expected there was umbrage, and outrage and the Governor’s aid, Ralph Iwowari intervened to pacify his paymaster. He sent for the reporter, not knowing that there was umbrage on his report, Amachjre appeared at the gate of the Government House and was received by soldiers who temporarily detained him until further orders. The soldiers were then ordered to shave his head with broken bottles and had him beaten and caned 24 times. The gory act also received national attention and attendant wide publicity. Amachire sought justice in the Nigerian Court system where the court awarded him damages and compensation paid to him.
Father on with its fearless reporting standard, on July 22, 1993, General Ibrahim Babagida banned the NIGERIAN OBSERVER Newspaper as well as some other national newspaper platforms for their reportage on the June 12 crisis and caustic criticisms of his administration. There is no doubt that THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER Newspaper has weathered so many storms over the years and has continued to maintain circulation on the newsstands, except when General Babaginda shut it down. Nonetheless, against the backdrop of the analysis on circulation and advertisements as shown in the Wikipedia data, for year 1999, the paper had a, “Relatively Small Circulation with only 15% of column inches taken up by advertisements compared to 50% in typical North American paper.
“Many of the advertisements were government bulletins; low revenue coupled with shortage of newsprint which had the effect of limiting coverage of events, and in particular of limiting investigative reporting.”
On a positive note, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Enogheghase Obaseki on August 14, 2017, paid an unscheduled inspection visit to the NIGERIAN OBSERVER newspaper.
On May 1, 2018, at the Workers Day Celebration which incidentally had the theme “Labour Movement in national development: Dare to struggle, dare to win,” Obaseki voiced his resolve at installing a printing line in the OBSERVER Newspaper within 90days towards repositioning the process of production.
He further stated, during the World Press Freedom Day Celebration on May 3, 2018, “My administration is set to commence the revamp of the state owned media enterprises; Edo Broadcasting Service Radio and Television and Observer Newspaper to strengthen the media platforms for people in the state to express themselves and contribute to the development of discourse.”
By BERNADETTE IDALU
MIDWEST Newspaper Corporation, now Bendel Newspaper Company Limited, Publisher of the OBSERVER Titles, was established by Late Brig-General Samuel Ogbemudia, on May 29, 1968, during his tenure as the military administrator of the state.
The paper at inception was published as a document which circulated daily to help inform the public on the Midwestern State as an interface between government and the people as well as being the mechanism through which government got feedback from its citizens.
In the same vein, the Midwest Broadcasting Service, now known as the Edo Broadcasting Radio/Television Service was established in the same year to promote the free flow of informative, entertaining and educative information.
The OBSERVER Newspaper has continued to strive in the face of stiff competition from privately owned and managed media platforms; it has continued with its mission of being a veritable tool for information dissemination.
Even when cynics tag the paper, “OBSERVER…Omonotoghe,” due perhaps to its penchant for reflecting government’s position, it must be realized that reporters of this establishment have not always had a rosy reception from government when they strayed from set path.
What easily comes to mind was its fearless reportage climaxing with the Mineri Amachire incident involving then Rivers State Military Governor, Alfred Diette Spiff. Rivers State as at then comprised Bayelsa State. In the widely reported news report of 1973, Mineri Amachire, Rivers State correspondent for the NIGERIAN OBSERVER wired a story to his office, the Nigerian Observer about teachers strike taking place on the same day the Military Governor was having his birth day anniversary and the Military Governor felt insulted about the coincidence and was seen as a report calculated to embarrass the government. As would be expected there was umbrage, and outrage and the Governor’s aid, Ralph Iwowari intervened to pacify his paymaster. He sent for the reporter, not knowing that there was umbrage on his report, Amachjre appeared at the gate of the Government House and was received by soldiers who temporarily detained him until further orders. The soldiers were then ordered to shave his head with broken bottles and had him beaten and caned 24 times. The gory act also received national attention and attendant wide publicity. Amachire sought justice in the Nigerian Court system where the court awarded him damages and compensation paid to him.
Father on with its fearless reporting standard, on July 22, 1993, General Ibrahim Babagida banned the NIGERIAN OBSERVER Newspaper as well as some other national newspaper platforms for their reportage on the June 12 crisis and caustic criticisms of his administration. There is no doubt that THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER Newspaper has weathered so many storms over the years and has continued to maintain circulation on the newsstands, except when General Babaginda shut it down. Nonetheless, against the backdrop of the analysis on circulation and advertisements as shown in the Wikipedia data, for year 1999, the paper had a, “Relatively Small Circulation with only 15% of column inches taken up by advertisements compared to 50% in typical North American paper.
“Many of the advertisements were government bulletins; low revenue coupled with shortage of newsprint which had the effect of limiting coverage of events, and in particular of limiting investigative reporting.”
On a positive note, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Enogheghase Obaseki on August 14, 2017, paid an unscheduled inspection visit to the NIGERIAN OBSERVER newspaper.
On May 1, 2018, at the Workers Day Celebration which incidentally had the theme “Labour Movement in national development: Dare to struggle, dare to win,” Obaseki voiced his resolve at installing a printing line in the OBSERVER Newspaper within 90days towards repositioning the process of production.
He further stated, during the World Press Freedom Day Celebration on May 3, 2018, “My administration is set to commence the revamp of the state owned media enterprises; Edo Broadcasting Service Radio and Television and Observer Newspaper to strengthen the media platforms for people in the state to express themselves and contribute to the development of discourse.”
