The Executive Director of the International Press Institute (IPI), Barbara Trionfi, on Friday met with the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, alongside some executives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Lagos.
Speaking at the meeting held within the premises of Heirs Holdings in Ikoyi, Lagos, Trionfi said she was in Nigeria ahead of the IPI’s Abuja World Congress to engage with stakeholders and individuals who support journalists’ cause towards building a better-informed society.
“The IPI Abuja World Congress is one of those opportunities that we felt will enable journalists across the world to share their ideas. It’s our desire to use our journalistic tools to bring forward our ideas which you as a person and your foundation will like to support,” she said.
In his remark, Mr. Elumelu expressed optimism that the world body congress billed for June this year will enable the world to focus more on Nigeria while it lasted.
He affirmed that he was encouraged that the media is using “dialogue, advocacy and helping to educate government to realising that creating the right environment for the youths is essential” for national development.
“That is where why we need the support of your kind of platform so that collectively, we can hold government more accountable, and ensure that they create the right environment for start-up businesses to succeed.
“We also have to make government understand that the success of these start-up businesses and the overall progress of the society depend on them.
“I’m happy that you’ve chosen Nigeria as a country to host this event. And when you all come, the world will know something is happening in Nigeria and our people will get more encouraged and organised so that we’ll become better in creating the right policies,” the banking mogul said.
The chairman of Media Trust Limited, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, who is also a member of the congress organising committee, led the IPI delegation to the meeting.
Those also in attendance are the National President of NUJ, Waheed Odusile, the General Secretary of Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Victoria Ibanga, the Chairman of NUJ Lagos Branch, Dr. Qasim Akinreti, among others.
It will be recalled that the IPI is a global network of editors, journalists and media executives who defend media freedom and the free flow of news across the world.
This year’s IPI World Congress, holding in Abuja from June 21-23, 2018 is expected to attract hundreds of leading editors and journalists from across the world, who will discuss numerous challenges journalists are facing.