The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) said it plans to establish a trust fund to support the country’s media landscape.
NPAN stated this in a communique issued after its Annual General Meeting held in Lagos.
The communique was co-signed by its president, Mallam Kabiru A. Yusuf, and general secretary, Mrs Angela Emuwa.
NPAN noted that the print media is bearing the brunt of the dwindling economic challenges facing the country.
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“The analysis revealed the alarming condition of the newspaper business in Nigeria, highlighting the concerning fact that no newsprint is produced locally.
“This underscores the urgent need for the federal government to review its policies on the paper industry, aiming to promote both education and the development of the newspaper sector,” it said.
The association which welcomed the birth of the Media Ombudsman expressed delight that it will attend to complaints from the public.
“The NPAN is very optimistic that the success of the Ombudsman will widen the scope of self-regulation and ward off the predatory advocates of a government-controlled press with the concomitant encroachment on free speech,” it added.
It said the birth of the Ombudsman is a collaboration of NPAN, the Nigeria Guild of Editors, the Nigerian Union of Journalists, the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, Media NGOs, and Daria Media with support from the MacArthur Foundation, to work on ethics and self-regulation by the media.
NPAN also urged the federal government to provide succour to the poor population.
