False sales figures leave ThisDay down

Management at the Nigerian owned ThisDay newspaper overstated circulation by more than 50% in the second half of last year, forcing the upmarket daily into a dramatic restatement of its figures yesterday. Figures published yesterday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) show that ThisDay's average daily sale for the second half of 2003 was 20552 and not the 32401 it reported to the ABC and advertisers.