Leading media houses in Nigeria, and stakeholders including civil society and non-media groups will gather in Lagos, on Monday to discuss an acceptable framework for media regulation in the country.
A statement issued on Thursday by the Executive Secretary of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Feyi Smith, said the roundtable is designed to deepen public trust by setting up a credible adjudicatory mechanism.
Smith noted that the roundtable would hold under the auspices of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) in collaboration with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and the MacArthur Foundation.
NPAN’s executive secretary said respected media guru and erstwhile governor of Ogun state, Chief Olusegun Osoba would preside at the Roundtable, while other prominent leaders from media practice, management, ownership, the academia, and professionals, leaders of prominent media NGOs, the Bar, the legislature, and the diplomatic corps are also expected.
“The theme of the roundtable is “Deepening Media Professionalism Through Co-regulation”, and the programme would be in two sessions. The first is on, “Thoughts on co-regulation through an independent Ombudsman framework”; the second session will consider “the revised draft of a new Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists”.
“The event will hold at Protea Hotel Ikeja Select, Alausa, Ikeja at 10.00am. Mal Kabiru A. Yusuf, who is also President NPAN and President of the Nigeria Press Organisation (NPO), will be supported by the President of the NGE, Mr. Mustapha Isah; President of the NUJ, Chief Chris Isiguzo; President of BON, Mr. John Ugbe; President of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, Mr. Guy Murray-Bruce; President of IBAN and Mr Yakubu. C. Maikyau, SAN. President of the NBA’’, the statement said.