At 50, Punch Nigeria Limited, publishers of The Punch and other titles has every reason to elaborately celebrate as it has done in past weeks.
The colourful novelty match, art exhibition of its past photos and cartoons, lecture by an eminent personality, Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, and dinner with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other top personalities are befitting of the status of the national daily which is unarguably Nigeria’s most read newspaper.
In appreciation of the contribution of the present and former staff to the success of the company, the 50th celebration was rounded off with a well-attended staff party at the newspaper office last Saturday.
Notwithstanding the economic situation of the country and digital disruption which have affected the fortunes of the print media industry, the accomplishments of the newspaper over the years are worth celebrating.
With the first edition of the Sunday Punch published on March 18, 1973, the newspaper has blossomed into a media conglomerate, including The Punch Daily, The Saturday PUNCH, PUNCH Sports Extra, and its digital platforms.
Some of its defunct publications include Financial Punch, Labour Punch, Evening Punch, and Toplife Magazine.
That The Punch today is unarguably Nigeria’s most-read newspaper despite the various stages it has gone through including board crisis, economic downturn, and shutdown of its operations by military governments, is a testament to how resilient the paper has been over the years.
The newspaper has remained committed to the dreams of its founders, the late Chief James Olubunmi Aboderin, Chairman and his partner, accomplished journalist, Mr Sam Amuka-Pemu, now publisher of Vanguard Newspaper as an independent and nonpartisan medium that promotes social justice, democracy, free enterprise, and good governance.
While many newspapers established before and after it have since shut down, the company has continued to flourish based on its commitment to corporate governance principles, good management and high-quality journalism practice that has earned it and its staff numerous awards.
Despite concerns in the past about its high staff turnover which has improved in recent years, The Punch’s operational model remains a good example of how to efficiently and profitably manage a print media organization, which others in the sector can learn from.
It is commendable that the conditions of service for its staff in terms of payment and allowances have remained among the best and consistent. If there are other ways of making the work conditions more conducive for its staff, the company should consider doing so.
The Punch Foundation should be an avenue for more than the staff of the company to benefit from whatever resources and learning opportunities can be made available to interested media professionals.
We congratulate the board of the company under the chairmanship of Mrs Angela Emuwa and management led by the Managing Director and Editor Chief, Mr Joseph Adeyeye and wish the newspaper more years of successful operations.