Outlet profile

ThisDay

Nigerian private, establishment/pro-government-leaning

Owned byOwned by Nduka Obaigbena, founding chairman and editor-in-chief of THISDAY Media Group. The paper is published by Leaders & Company Ltd., which also runs ARISE News.

FundingMainly advertising and newspaper sales, plus events such as the annual THISDAY Awards. Its owner's wider media group also supports it. No state ownership has been identified, but government and corporate advertisers matter to its revenue.

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

ThisDay was founded by Nduka Obaigbena and first published on 22 January 1995 in Lagos. It is the flagship paper of Leaders & Company Ltd. Obaigbena is a former journalist who comes from the royal family of Owa Kingdom, Delta State. Over time the group has grown beyond the newspaper. It launched the annual THISDAY Awards in 2000, the ARISE Magazine and the ARISE News Channel. The paper is known for its business and finance coverage, a glossy format, and its close ties to political and corporate elites. Obaigbena has also held leadership roles in the Nigerian newspaper-owners' association. Critics, including former staff writing in outlets such as Sahara Reporters, have criticized working conditions at the company. In 2026, its coverage of the Trump administration has been mostly Nigeria-centered. It has run opinion and news pieces on U.S. health partnerships and security cooperation, framed around Nigerian sovereignty and domestic financing. My search found limited direct evidence on its editorial stance toward Trump, so this assessment is tentative. It is based on a small sample of recent pieces.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-10-21; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

← Back to track record