The Veteran Journalist Who Is The Founder Of THISDAY Media And ARISE News Channel

Nduka Obaigbena CON, Duke of Owa Kingdom, is the founding Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of the THISDAY Media Group and ARISE News Channel.

BACKGROUND He was born in Ibadan, South West Nigeria, on July 14, 1959, into the royal family of Owa Kingdom, Delta State. Obaigbena attended Edo College, Benin City, and the University of Benin. He also attended the Graduate School of Business at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and completed the Advanced Management Programme at the University of Cape Town.

He founded the Nigerian newspaper Thisday in 1995. In 2000, Obaigbena established the annual Thisday Awards, which honor individuals who have made contributions to Nigerian society in the political arena, global business, women of distinction, and leading figures in the Nigerian education sector.

In 2013, he launched an international TV news channel with a focus on Africa, called Arise News. The channel signed a contract with Globecast for satellite transmission on Astra 2G, broadcasting on the UK Sky platform, and on Hot Bird for cable distribution. Arise News has bases in London, New York City, Johannesburg, Abuja, and Lagos.

In 2021, Obaigbena was disqualified from serving as a company director in the UK for seven years. Judge Raquel Agnello ruled in favor of a case brought by the official receiver, stating that Obaigbena’s conduct as the sole director of Arise TV was unfit and that the company had continued to trade despite “complete uncertainty” about its funding.

Obaigbena was a senate candidate in 1991 and was elected as a member of the Constitutional Conference in 1994. He regularly attends and moderates sessions at the World Economic Forum and has served as a member of the Nominating Committee of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum. He is the Chairman of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and the Chairman of the Nigerian Press Organisation, which comprises the NPAN, the National Union of Journalists, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors, where he is a fellow.

In addition to founding Thisday Nigerian newspaper and the annual Thisday Awards, Obaigbena also established ARISE Magazine. The publication was launched at the THISDAY Music & Fashion Festival at London’s Royal Albert Hall on October 14, 2008. Obaigbena also initiated The ARISE (AFRICA) FASHION Week, which started in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, and later found a home in Lagos, Nigeria. The ARISE Fashion Week also featured in The New York and Paris Fashion Weeks.

Obaigbena started the THISDAY Music and Fashion Festivals in 2006, featuring notable musical acts such as Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna, John Legend, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Black Eyed Peas, Missy Elliott, Usher, Naomi Campbell, Alec Wek, Liya Kebede, Oluchi, and more. He also introduced the concept of THISDAY Awards.

In October 2022, Obaigbena was conferred the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), a Nigerian national award, by President Muhammadu Buhari.