The Punch, Nigeria’s self-acclaimed most widely read newspaper was conspicuously sidelined as Presidency gives new year advertorial to national dailies.
The Presidency advertorial contained the new year message President Buhari wanted to convey to Nigerians. It was placed on front page of many national dailies such as ‘The Nation’, ‘The Guardian’ , ‘Daily Independent’ among others.
The Herald recalls that Punch on December 11 in a front page editorial, disclosed Buhari’s name will be prefixed with ‘Major-General’ in all its publications due to his perceived dictatorial rule in a democratic nation.
The national daily cited the instance of the continued detention of embattled Journalist Omoyele Sowore, despite several orders authorising his release.
“As a symbolic demonstration of our protest against autocracy and military-style repression, PUNCH (all our print newspapers and digital platforms, most especially Punchng.com) will henceforth prefix Buhari’s name with his rank as a military dictator in the 80s, Major General, and refer to his administration as a regime, until they purge themselves of their insufferable contempt for the rule of law.”
It remains unclear if the editorial is the reason the national daily was sidelined in the Presidency advertorial.
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