Today, most newspaper cover pages were sold to Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, a former Niger Delta militant leader, for an appreciation message to Tinubu for signing the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU) bill into law..
The message titled “Letter of Gratitude to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, for Signing into Law the Act Establishing the Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State” was written in bold capital letters in the newspapers.
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It is a glowing tribute to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, portraying him as a leader who listens, fulfils promises, and brings development to the Niger Delta region.
Tampolo’s letter occupied the entire cover page of most Nigerian newspapers, especially those considered prominent. News headlines that would normally appear on the front page were instead moved to the inner pages of the papers.
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For instance, Punch Newspaper’s cover page featured only four headlines, whereas it typically included nine to 12 headlines.
Similarly, Tribune Newspaper displayed four small-font headlines on one end of the front page, with Tompolo’s letter occupying most of the space.
Only three news headlines were displayed on the cover page of the Daily Trust newspaper, with the remaining headlines pushed to the inner pages.
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This was also the case with The Guardian Newspaper, which featured only a few headlines on its cover.
How much the ex-militant leader paid the newspapers for this advertisement remains unclear.
However, some newspapers may not have received or declined the business offer, so news reports dominated their front pages.
Vanguard Newspaper, on its front page, reported the mass deportation of Nigerians considered to be illegally residing in the US under the headline, “5,144 Nigerians face arrest, deportation from US.”
But Platform Times wrote that “Mass Deportation: US immigration authorities target over 3,690 Nigerians.”
Another headline on the front page of the Vanguard newspaper read, “S-South govs declare support for Tinubu’s tax reform.”
Salient Times reported, “Nigeria targets universal electricity access by 2030 with $23bn plan – Tinubu.”
“How CBN’s new FX Code will enhance market liquidity,” a Business Day headline read.
Liberty Newspaper reported, “2027: Atiku accuses Tinubu of bribing opposition leaders with #50m each.”
The Blueprint reported that “EU commits €19bn to Nigeria’s democracy, good governance.”
We thank Abiola Ayankunbi, a media management expert, for providing screenshots of the newspapers’ front pages.
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