Information Minister to chair IPI Nigeria Conference

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, will chair the 2024 conference of the Nigerian chapter of the International Press Institute, scheduled to be held on Wednesday in Abuja, organisers said.

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This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by Ahmed Shekarau, the Secretary of IPI Nigeria.

The statement further revealed the list of guests who have confirmed their attendance at the conference. They include the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba; Publisher, Vanguard Newspaper, Sam Amuka; President, Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Kabiru Yusuf; the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga; and Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu.

Other guests expected at the IPI Nigeria Conference include the Africa Director, MacArthur Foundation, Kole Shettima; Country Director, CARE, Hussaini Abdu; Founder, ThisDay/Arise, Nduka Obaigbena; former Minister of Information & Culture, Lai Mohammed; Dean, Postgraduate School, Baze University, Abiodun Adeniyi and Chairman of the Editorial Board of ThisDay Newspaper, Olusegun Adeniyi.

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The statement reiterated that the IPI Nigeria Conference will be held on Wednesday, 11th December at the Abuja Continental Hotel (formerly Sheraton Hotel). Even more, the Institute is scheduled to hold its annual general meeting, to elect new leadership and host its members and supporters to a dinner on 12th December at the same venue.

An earlier statement by Mr Shekarau had revealed that renowned media practitioner, Tonnie Iredia, would deliver a keynote on “Democracy, Media Freedom and the Imperative of Protecting Nigeria’s Civic Space,” at the event.

A panel of seasoned journalists has also been lined up to discuss the paper. Busola Ajibola, a press freedom advocate and deputy director at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, will moderate the discussion, which will feature Waziri Adio (founder and executive director at Agora Policy), Garba Shehu (director at Peoples Daily newspaper and former presidential spokesperson, and Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika (a professor of mass communication at the University of Lagos).

Adeola Ajayi, the director-general of the State Security Service, will also make a presentation titled “Dissecting the Frosty Relationship Between the Nigerian Media and Security Agencies.” The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi; Funke Egbemode, a former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors; Hussaini Abdu, country director of CARE; and Lanre Arogundade, director of the International Press Centre, will discuss his presentation.

Mr Shekarau said the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, will make a short remark 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, will also speak on “Government Vs Media: How to Reduce Tension, Enhance Mutual Understanding, and Avoid Censorship”.

“Owners of leading media organisations in Nigeria, media practitioners, federal lawmakers, heads of security agencies, academics, press freedom and journalists’ safety advocates, and other experts have been invited to participate as we deliberate on the challenges threatening the practice of journalism in the country”, Mr. Shekarau said.

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“The conference will provide journalists with an opportunity to find answers to some of the knotty issues they desperately want answers to.”

The conference will be followed by an annual general meeting on 12th December 2024, at which the Musikilu Mojeed-led IPI Nigeria executive will render accounts to members and elect a new executive to run the organisation’s affairs, Shekarau said.

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.