# History of Nigerian Newspapers

> Nigerian newspaper publishing began in 1859 at Abeokuta with Iwe Irohin, a Yoruba-English mission paper. Lagos's own English-language press followed in 1863, daily publication arrived in 1926, and the 1930s–1950s nationalist press, led by Nnamdi Azikiwe's West African Pilot, helped drive the country to independence. Modern titles like The Guardian and Vanguard emerged from the 1980s.

**Category:** Media & Journalism · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/history-of-nigerian-newspapers

## Key facts
- **First Nigerian newspaper:** Iwe Irohin Fun Awon Ara Egba Ati Yoruba, Abeokuta, 1859
- **Founder of Iwe Irohin:** Rev. Henry Townsend, Church Missionary Society
- **First Lagos / English-language newspaper:** The Anglo-African, founded 6 June 1863 by Robert Campbell
- **First daily newspaper:** Nigerian Daily Times (later Daily Times), 1 June 1926
- **Leading nationalist newspaper:** West African Pilot, founded 22 November 1937 by Nnamdi Azikiwe
- **Oldest surviving privately owned newspaper:** Nigerian Tribune, founded November 1949 by Obafemi Awolowo
- **Major modern-era launch:** The Guardian, founded 1983 by Alex Ibru and Stanley Macebuh
- **As of:** 24 July 2026

## Sources
- Iwe Irohin: Nigeria's First Newspaper (1859-1867) — HistoryVille (https://www.thehistoryville.com/iwe-irohin/)
- The 'Iwe Irohin', 1859-1867 — JSTOR (Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria) (https://www.jstor.org/stable/41971199)
- The ANGLO-AFRICAN: Second Newspaper in Nigeria (1863-1865) — OldNaija (https://oldnaija.com/2021/09/12/the-anglo-african-second-newspaper-in-nigeria-1863-1865/)
- History of Journalism in Nigeria — The Nation Newspaper (https://thenationonlineng.net/history-of-journalism-in-nigeria/)
- West African Pilot and the Rise of Nigeria's Nationalist Press — Historical Nigeria (https://historicalnigeria.com/west-african-pilot-and-the-rise-of-nigerias-nationalist-press/)
- West African Pilot (newspaper catalogue record) — Library of Congress, Chronicling America (https://www.loc.gov/item/sn94048072/)
- Nigerian Tribune (company profile) — Businessfront Over 50 Nigeria (https://businessfront.com/over50ng/company/nigerian-tribune/)
- The quest for excellence: The Guardian at 39 — The Guardian Nigeria (https://guardian.ng/news/the-quest-for-excellence-the-guardian-at-39/)
- Daily Times @100: Throwback to early Times titles and their origin story — Daily Times Nigeria (https://dailytimesng.com/daily-times-100-throwback-to-early-times-titles-and-their-origin-story/)

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