Adesina is new NGE president …as Ajimobi lauds journalists’ role in democracy

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) concluded its 2013 national conference in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday, electing Mr Femi Adesina, Deputy Managing Director/Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Sun, as its new president.
At the end of the election, Adesina polled 148 votes to defeat his opponent, Tukur Abulrahman, who got 57 votes.
Earlier at the conference’s opening ceremony, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State commended journalists  for their  role  in entrenching democracy in the country. Ajimobi  made the commendation  while declaring open the convention.
He, however, said that online journalism posed a threat and challenge to mainstream  journalism.
The governor said this was because the profession had been infiltrated by non-professionals who he said malign the reputation of people.
Ajimobi urged the NGE and other journalists in the country to convene a media reform conference to find solutions to the challenges facing the Nigerian  media.
In his valedictory speech, the outgoing President of  the NGE, Mr Gbenga Adefaye,  said his administration performed excellently in building the capacity of editors through training.
Adefaye said his executive successfully refocused editors on national issues through different annual conferences, between 2009  and 2012.
He said that the proceedings of the annual conferences had been compiled into a book.
“The material achievements are okay. But  what I consider our greatest achievement was the fierce defence of press freedom and expansion of the frontiers of free speech which in my view is the number one mandate of the guild,” he added.
Adefaye said the media successfully halted the passage of  the Nigerian Press and Journalism Council Bill   “through a very innovative approach of lobbying.”
He also said the NGE  took the lead in getting the sixth National Assembly to pass the Freedom of Information Bill which President Goodluck Jonathan signed into law.
In his report, the General Secretary of NGE, Mr Isaac Ighure, recalled the activities of the secretariat in the last four years.
He said the secretariat had gone a long way in improving ICT facilities and ensuring  that it was able to reach editors operating even in areas considered remote in the country.
“It is gladdening that we have been able to achieve that goal with the provision of a new HP computer by the secretariat to reach a lot more editors anytime,”  he said.
Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion, Mr Ray Ekpu, described  journalism as a difficult profession.
He urged Nigerian journalists to face the challenges, including intimidation and harassment.
“I ask you not to allow those who are paid by Nigerian tax payers  to demean us or our profession.
“We should fight for our rights to help the society, because we fought successfully for the Freedom of Information Act,” Ekpu said.
In his presentation, Mr Richard Ikiebe, the Director of Journalism at the Pan-African University in Lagos, urged the media in the country to cater more for specialised audience to improve reach and newspaper circulation.
Ikiebe also called for paradigm shift to align with the audience and consumers of mass media messages.
Editors and veteran journalists from  across the country attended the convention.
Among veterans at the forum were  a former governor of Ogun, Chief Segun Osoba; publisher of Vanguard newspapers, Chief Sam Amuka; Professor Dayo Alao of Babcock University and Chief Tola Adeniyi of the defunct Daily Times.