Why the Yorubas Are Ahead of the Igbos in the News Media in Nigeria

Why the Yorubas Are Ahead of the Igbos in the News Media in Nigeria


The Yorubas deserve kudos for the sustainable development and advancement of the news media in Nigeria since the 19th century to date.


Yorubas have used their newspapers and magazines to propel political awareness and boost the entertainment industry in Nigeria. Such newspapers as The Punch, The Tribune and PM News and newsmagazines like The News and Tell and entertainment/celebrity newsmagazines and tabloids like the Fame, City People, National Encomium, Global Excellence and others have made more Nigerians to be politically wiser and made the entertainment industry to boom by reporting and promoting Nigerian entertainers.


The point of this short article is to note why the Yorubas are actually ahead of the Igbos in the printing and publication of newspapers and magazines in Nigeria.
An Igbo publisher noted the following observations.

1. Igbos do printing and publishing like they do their cash and carry trading commodities business without being patient to go through the gestation and treadmill of the printing and publishing of newspapers and magazines, because they want quick return on investment in their usual get rich quick methods of business. Therefore they have abandoned their newspapers and magazines.


2. Yorubas are more cooperative among themselves in the news media whereas the Igbos are more competitive for selfish aggrandizement and titular pursuits.

3. The average Yoruba renders assistance without exploiting you, but the average Igbo hardly renders assistance without exploiting and taking advantage of you. The Igbo printer or publisher has what I call the Shylock Syndrome.

4. The Yoruba apprentice believes more in service than the Igbo apprentice.

5. Igbo printers and publishers are very stingy whereas the Yoruba printers and publishers are gracious and generous and they pay more salaries to their employees and treat them better than the Igbo printers and publishers.

6. Yorubas in the advertising agencies have also supported the Yoruba printers and publishers by giving them adverts.

7. Yoruba printers and publishers of newspapers and magazines are more democratic than the Igbos from the newsroom to the boardroom.

8. Yorubas read more newspapers and magazines than the Igbos.