{"id":3224,"date":"2011-08-20T16:48:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-20T16:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224"},"modified":"2011-08-20T16:48:00","modified_gmt":"2011-08-20T16:48:00","slug":"how-to-save-the-new-nigerian-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224","title":{"rendered":"How to save the New Nigerian (2)"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_3241\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3241\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3241\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?attachment_id=3241\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"660,387\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"IMG-20221020-WA0014\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;NNN head office in Kaduna&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=300%2C176&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3241\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wip.ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014-300x176.jpg?resize=300%2C176&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?resize=300%2C176&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?w=660&amp;ssl=1 660w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NNN head office in Kaduna<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>It would be superfluous to list the major achievements of the\u00a0<em>New Nigerian\u00a0<\/em>which made it the most influential newspaper in this country from the mid-1960s to the late \u201980s. Suffice it to say that for about three decades after its debut on January 1, 1966, the\u00a0<em>NN\u00a0<\/em>was in terms of circulation, readership, believability and clout the number one newspaper of record in the country. This, of course, translates into its being the second most authoritative newspaper in Africa, after Eqypt\u2019s\u00a0<em>Al-Ahram<\/em>. Business-wise, the company owned landed property and other assets that placed it almost at par with some of the leading business conglomerates of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<em>NN&nbsp;<\/em>grew in leaps and bounds in its first ten years. On Wednesday, December 31, 1975, i.e. the eve of its tenth anniversary, the then Federal Commissioner of Information, Brigadier IBM Haruna, noted that the&nbsp;<em>NN&nbsp;<\/em>had won for itself \u201cthe reputation of being one of the leading and seriously regarded national dailies in this relatively short period.\u201d He urged the company to strive and improve on its standards, adding that \u201cthe ensuing years will bear further record of higher attainments and that your conscience, integrity, wisdom and maturity, coupled with God\u2019s blessings, shall always be realised in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Haruna\u2019s views proved prophetic. For the next twenty years the&nbsp;<em>NN&nbsp;<\/em>continued to grow. Up till the year 2000, in spite of its deteriorating fortune, it enjoyed a relative dominance of the newspaper business, though this time in the north rather than in the whole country. But then, a lot happened which broke such dominance and brought down the paper from its high pedestal. Today, many newcomers have surpassed it by all reckoning. Its being seen on the news-stands is a miracle that is due to the doggedness of its management and other staff. Yet, circulation is low; salaries have not been paid for six months, further wrecking the morale of staff. The company is crying for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many ideas have been proffered towards resuscitating the company. The NNN management insists that all it requires is big cash. This thinking, which is erroneous, has made it difficult for the management to look beyond its nose. While money makes the world go round, it does not make it a better place in which to live. Money can be gotten and finished. What the company requires is a strategic thinking of what should be done with money. Strategies are needed to re-implant the&nbsp;<em>NN&nbsp;<\/em>in the minds of its readers and capture a new generation of readers and advertisers, many of whom were not there in the paper\u2019s apogee. The&nbsp;<em>NN&nbsp;<\/em>needs a second coming, a relaunch that would purposively put it on the path of competitiveness not only as a major news institution but also as a business enterprise. To me, in order to attain this newness, we must return to the oldness of this northern behemoth. To create a future for the&nbsp;<em>NN<\/em>, we must return to its past. We must examine the ashes of its faded glory in order to reinvent a solid foundation for its tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We must remember that the&nbsp;<em>NN&nbsp;<\/em>was founded on the ashes of the&nbsp;<em>Nigerian Citizen<\/em>, a daily owned by the government of the Northern Region. By the late 1950s, that newspaper\u2019s fate had become similar to that of the&nbsp;<em>NN&nbsp;<\/em>of the late 80s; its glory was crashing in an age of propaganda between the north and the south, one targeted at maximising control of the political and economic realm of the new nation. Meanwhile, as the&nbsp;<em>Nigerian Citizen&nbsp;<\/em>was going down, more gutsy southern newspapers were having a field day setting agenda for governance. The&nbsp;<em>NN&nbsp;<\/em>was conceived and set up to replace the&nbsp;<em>Nigerian Citizen&nbsp;<\/em>as a bulwark against the merciless buffeting the north was receiving from the more funded and better designed Lagos-Ibadan publications. Within a few years, it achieved huge success in its task. The measures taken to make it so are just what the NN needs today to rise from its ashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I will mention them (and more) in the final part of this piece, next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;<br><em>Published in the current issue of BLUEPRINT<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_3224\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3224\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif?resize=16%2C16&#038;ssl=1\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It would be superfluous to list the major achievements of the\u00a0New Nigerian\u00a0which made it the most influential newspaper in this country from the mid-1960s to the late \u201980s. Suffice it to say that for about three decades after its debut on January 1, 1966, the\u00a0NN\u00a0was in terms of circulation, readership, believability and clout the number [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_3224\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"3224\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-online-musings"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to save the New Nigerian (2) - Ibrahim Sheme<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to save the New Nigerian (2) - Ibrahim Sheme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It would be superfluous to list the major achievements of the\u00a0New Nigerian\u00a0which made it the most influential newspaper in this country from the mid-1960s to the late \u201980s. Suffice it to say that for about three decades after its debut on January 1, 1966, the\u00a0NN\u00a0was in terms of circulation, readership, believability and clout the number [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ibrahim Sheme\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-20T16:48:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"387\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nafisat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"IBRAHIM SHEME\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nafisat\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4\"},\"headline\":\"How to save the New Nigerian (2)\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-08-20T16:48:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224\"},\"wordCount\":739,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Online Musings\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224\",\"name\":\"How to save the New Nigerian (2) - Ibrahim Sheme\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-08-20T16:48:00+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1\",\"width\":660,\"height\":387,\"caption\":\"NNN head office in Kaduna\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to save the New Nigerian (2)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/\",\"name\":\"Ibrahim Sheme\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ibrahim Sheme\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IshemeLogo.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IshemeLogo.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Ibrahim Sheme\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4\",\"name\":\"Nafisat\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e999cea8cab471727b3785d6d6c13039b2fc941be9c3077e56e254375b4b48f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e999cea8cab471727b3785d6d6c13039b2fc941be9c3077e56e254375b4b48f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nafisat\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\"],\"url\":\"\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to save the New Nigerian (2) - Ibrahim Sheme","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to save the New Nigerian (2) - Ibrahim Sheme","og_description":"It would be superfluous to list the major achievements of the\u00a0New Nigerian\u00a0which made it the most influential newspaper in this country from the mid-1960s to the late \u201980s. Suffice it to say that for about three decades after its debut on January 1, 1966, the\u00a0NN\u00a0was in terms of circulation, readership, believability and clout the number [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224","og_site_name":"Ibrahim Sheme","article_published_time":"2011-08-20T16:48:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":660,"height":387,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nafisat","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"IBRAHIM SHEME","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224"},"author":{"name":"Nafisat","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4"},"headline":"How to save the New Nigerian (2)","datePublished":"2011-08-20T16:48:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224"},"wordCount":739,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1","articleSection":["Online Musings"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224","name":"How to save the New Nigerian (2) - Ibrahim Sheme","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1","datePublished":"2011-08-20T16:48:00+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1","width":660,"height":387,"caption":"NNN head office in Kaduna"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?p=3224#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to save the New Nigerian (2)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/","name":"Ibrahim Sheme","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#organization","name":"Ibrahim Sheme","url":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IshemeLogo.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IshemeLogo.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Ibrahim Sheme"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bb4e2be5e35db546de899bf1493897e4","name":"Nafisat","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e999cea8cab471727b3785d6d6c13039b2fc941be9c3077e56e254375b4b48f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e999cea8cab471727b3785d6d6c13039b2fc941be9c3077e56e254375b4b48f5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nafisat"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com"],"url":""}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ibrahimsheme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/IMG-20221020-WA0014.jpg?fit=660%2C387&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ibrahimsheme.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}