Federal Character

Federal Character is an online newspaper founded in 2019 by Nigerian journalist and musician, Etcetera Ejikeme. Based in Maryland, United States, the newspaper focuses on promoting good governance, development, and egalitarianism, while reporting extensively on politics, business, sports, and entertainment.

History
Before founding Federal Character, Etcetera Ejikeme ran a newspaper column in The Punch, a Nigerian daily newspaper, titled Etcetera Live, where he addressed issues in governance in Nigeria, including insecurity and corruption. In 2019, he launched Federal Character, which has a team of writers based both in the United States and Nigeria.

In March 2023, Federal Character moved into its permanent office in the Towson area of Maryland. The newspaper has made great strides in a short amount of time, with over one million visitors to its website reported in April 2023.

Legal Issues
In December 2022, Federal Character was denied registration by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) of Nigeria, citing the unavailability of the name, "Federal Character." The newspaper had argued that it had registered and trademarked the name in the United States of America and should be considered for registration in Nigeria.

In January 2023, afrobeats singer, Stella D'lyte, threatened to sue Federal Character for leaking the release dates for her album, noting that the leak had a negative impact on her marketing strategy.