Punch Nigeria Limited, publisher of The Punch newspapers, has appointed Mr. Obafemi Obadare as its new Chairman of the Editorial Board, effective May 1, 2024.
Obadare, who has over three decades of experience in journalism, is one of the newspaper’s longest-serving members and was, until his appointment, a member of the editorial board.
Career with The Punch
Obadare joined The Punch as a Chief Correspondent, Sports Desk, in November 2000, where he gave basketball wide coverage through most of his exclusive interviews with voices in basketball and other lesser-known sports. He was later promoted to Features Editor of Sunday PUNCH.
In 2010, Obadare, a 1989 Philosophy graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, was promoted to the position of Editor, Saturday PUNCH.
During the 2013 hurricane that swept through the newspaper, leading to the sack of some staff members and promotion of some, Obadare was among the promoted staff: to the editorial board.
A few years later, he earned another uplift when the management of the newspapers promoted him to Senior Member, Editorial Board, until his latest appointment as Chairman of the Editorial Board on May 1, 2024.
Before joining The Punch, he worked with Newsline Minna, Sunray, and ALIVE Newspapers, Lagos.
Early Life and Education
Obafemi Obadare grew up in Modakeke and Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had his primary and post-primary education at St. Stephen’s ‘A’ Primary School, Alapata, Modakeke (1972–1977), and St. John’s Grammar School, Oke-Atan, Ile-Ife (1977–1982), respectively, according to his profile on his alma mater’s website, where he also serves as the Assistant General Secretary of the St. John’s Grammar School Old Boys Association (SJOBA).
He is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he earned a B.A. (Hons) degree in Philosophy in 1989.
He is expected to provide journalistic leadership and guidance to the editorial team and foster productive collaboration among editors, writers, and reporters, and consolidate on the achievements of the newspaper.
Founded on August 8, 1970, The Punch is notable for being the most-read newspaper in Nigeria, according to research by Research and Marketing Services (RMS) between 1998 to 1999.