The Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) has inaugurated three standing committees to help drive the organisation’s objective of promoting journalism practice and media freedom in Nigeria.
At the inauguration of the committee, Chairman of the IPI Nigeria Board of Trustees, Kabiru A. Yusuf, noted that the challenges ahead of the executive committee were enormous and that it was a right decision to constitute the committees to help drive the organisation’s objectives.
Yusuf, who spoke through a member of the IPI Nigeria’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Kadaria Ahmed, pledged the readiness of the BOT to support the executives at all times.
Earlier, the President of IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, said the committees were constituted to enhance the work of the organisation, bring in more inclusiveness and more buy-in of the work IPI Nigeria does.
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A statement issued by IPI Nigeria’s Secretary, Ahmed I. Shekarau, said Mojeed appealed to members to pay their membership and annual dues to enable the organisation execute laudable programmes that members would benefit from.
The three sub-committees inaugurated are those on Fund Raising, Programme and Advocacy.
A former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and immediate past Osun State Commissioner for Information, Funke Egbemode, leads the fund raising committee while Hajia Sani, the Director, Digital Media, Voice of Nigeria (VON), is the chairperson of the programme committee. The advocacy committee is headed by IPI Nigeria’s legal adviser, Tobi Soniyi.
The committees’ chairpersons pledged their readiness to work for IPI Nigeria even as they solicit the support of all members.
An Executive Board member of IPI Global, Raheem Adedoyin, said the inauguration of the committees was one of the best steps taken so far by IPI Nigeria.
He advised IPI Nigeria to continue to engage with the Nigerian authorities in its advocacy programmes, and to avoid unnecessary confrontation as much as possible.
Rather than wait for external funding, he advised members to save money to enable them to fund their trips abroad to attend some of the training sessions and congresses of the IPI, adding that they stood to benefit more from such sessions.
The members of the fund raising committee chaired by Egbemode are Mr Aliu Akoshile, CEO/Editor-in-Chief, NatureNews 247; Mr Fred Ohwahwa, Senior Partner, Tokee Consult Limited; Mrs Victoria Ibanga, Publisher, The Next Edition; Mr Bashir Adigun, Special Adviser to Kwara State Governor on Political Communication; and Mrs Rafatu Salami, Assistant Director, Digital Media, Voice of Nigeria (VON).
The programming committee chaired by Hajia Sani has Dr Elizabeth Ikem, former Provost, Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ); Mr Ken Ugbechie, Publisher, Political Economist NG; Hajiya Zainab O. Suleiman, Chairman, Editorial Board, Blueprint; and Ahmed I. Shekarau, Group Executive Director, Media Trust Group, as members.
Soniyi chairs the advocacy committee with members as Mrs Catherine Agbo, Deputy Editor, 24th Century Chronicle; Mr Ukeh Onuoha, Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun; Mr Danlami Nmodu, mni, Publisher, Newsdiaryonline; and Dr Hameed M. Bello, Chief Operating Officer, Peoples Daily.
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