By Bisi Bamishe
The Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed and the CEO of the Media Trust Group, Ahmed I. Shekarau, have been re-elected President and Secretary of the Nigerian chapter of International Press Institute (IPI) respectively.
Mojeed, Shekarau and four other officials, elected unopposed and sworn in on Thursday, will direct the affairs of the Nigerian affiliate of the global media body for the next three years.
A statement issued by a member of the global executive board of the IPI, Raheem Adedoyin, disclosed that other members elected into the executive committee of IPI Nigeria include Fidelis Mbah of Al Jazeera Television (deputy president), Rafatu Salami of Voice of Nigeria (treasurer), Yomi Adeboye of Herald Newspaper (assistant secretary) and Tobi Soniyi of Arise News (legal adviser).
Speaking during the inauguration of the new leaders, Mojeed, who promised inclusive administration, solicited the support and commitment of members to enable his team achieve the organisation’s set objectives of enhancing the Nigerian media operating environment.
The election of new leaders was preceded by the organisation’s annual general meeting (AGM) where the Mojeed-led executives rendered account of their three-year stewardship and updated members on the financial state of the body. Some sections of the organisation’s constitution were also amended during the AGM.
A major highpoint of the event was the arrival of ex-Governor Segun Osoba, a renowned journalist and prominent, longtime member of the IPI. He praised IPI Nigeria members for their commitment to press freedom, journalists’ rights and independent journalism.
Mr. Osoba, who recently returned from an overseas trip, further commended the organisation’s leadership for ensuring a successful conference.
Apart from ex-Governor Osoba, some other prominent journalists who attended the AGM included a former Editor-In-Chief of Tribune Newspapers (who chaired the forum), Folu Olamiti; former presidential spokesperson and ex-President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Garba Shehu; chairman of the Editorial Board of the Herald and member of the global board of the IPI, Mr. Adedoyin; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Oluwafisan Bankale and the Executive Director of the organisation, Dayo Aiyetan.
Some of the other dignitaries at the congress were Professor Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika of the University of Lagos; Kunle Babs, the Nigerian Bureau Chief of Feature Story News; Danlami Nmodu, publisher of Newsdiary Online; Fabian Benjamin, editor-in-chief of JAMB Bulletin; Sule Yau Sule of Bayero University, Kano; Dotun Oladipo, publisher of The Eagle Online; Funke Egbemode, former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors; Ochiaka Ugwu, an editor with Peoples Daily; Ken Ugbechie, publisher of Political Economist; Lawal Sabo Ibrahim, former managing director of The Triumph newspapers; Mohammed Danjuma, publisher of Katsina Times, Christopher Isiguzo, former president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ); Lanre Arogundade, executive director of the International Press Centre; Zainab Suleiman Okino, chair of the editorial board of Blueprint Newspapers; and Hameed Bello, chief operating officer of Peoples Daily newspapers.
Earlier on Wednesday, IPI Nigeria hosted a well attended conference with the theme: “Democracy, Media Freedom and the Imperative of Protecting the Nigerian Civic Space.”
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who chaired the conference’s opening day session said press freedom exists in Nigeria. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Tony Iredia. He disagreed with the minister, arguing fiercely that press freedom does not exist in Nigeria.
The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, gave a presentation on “Dissecting the Frosty Relationship Between the Nigerian Media and Security Agencies” while the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, spoke on “How the Media and Journalists can Partner Anti-corruption Agencies in the Fight Against Corruption.”
In the same vein, a former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, addressed participants on the participants on the topic “Government Vs Media: How to Reduce Tension, Enhance Mutual Understanding, and Avoid Censorship”.
The three-part event concluded on the night of 12th December with a dinner for the organisation’s members, partners, and supporters.
The International Press Institute (IPI), with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, is a global network of media executives, editors, and leading journalists. Since its establishment in 1950, it has consistently advocated for journalists’ rights and media freedom worldwide.
IPI Nigeria is the Nigerian branch of IPI Global and is totally committed to credible and independent journalism, media freedom, freedom of speech and the free flow of news and information in Africa’s most populous country and the continent’s biggest economy.
