The Association of Newspaper Owners of Nigeria has called on the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government to speed up its economic reform programmes.
After the 2023 Annual General Meeting held on November 8 at its secretariat in Lagos, Maryland, the association, in a statement signed by its president, Mallam Yusuf Kabiru and general secretary, Mrs. Angela Emuah, said, „The long-suffering Nigerians are in dire need of help.”
The statement read in part, “At the AGM, NPAN reviewed the state of the country, the economy and the print media sector and resolved as follows:
„Now that the elections are over and the government is in place, the federal government must move quickly with its economic reform program and deliver the much-needed assistance to Nigerians in the short term.”
Newspaper owners expressed concern over Nigeria’s lack of a „strong paper culture for education and mobilization” despite its size and youth-filled population.
They asked the government to review its policies in the paper industry to improve education and the newspaper industry.
The association said, “It is worrisome that a nation of Nigeria’s size and youth population lacks a strong paper culture for the education and mobilization of its citizens.
“The analysis revealed the precarious state of the newspaper business in Nigeria, highlighting the fact that no newspapers are locally produced.
„This underscores the urgent need for the central government to review its policies on the paper industry with a view to promoting both education and the growth of the newspaper industry.”
The report added, “As studies have shown a correlation between strong democracies and strong print media, NPAN added that the poor state of the newspaper sector indicates a poor state of democracy. The world’s 10 best-performing economies combine a strong political culture with a vibrant print media.
„Oddany rozwiązywacz problemów. Przyjazny hipsterom praktykant bekonu. Miłośnik kawy. Nieuleczalny introwertyk. Student.