MRA Felicitates Management
In commemoration of her 40th anniversary, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has expressed happiness with The Guardian’s editorial independence, adding that the future of the newspaper is bright.
In a chat in Lagos yesterday, MRA Programmes Director, Ayode Longe, said The Guardian has lived up to its name as the flagship of the media in Nigeria, adding that it is no wonder it has survived up to this point.
To him, The Guardian is a newspaper where some persons go to, to confirm the authenticity of news.
“For such persons, if it is not published in The Guardian, they will not believe the news as true. The Guardian has definitely contributed to sustaining democratic culture in Nigeria. The publisher allows for editorial independence in the outlet. I remember that two of its journalists: Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor, were jailed under Decree 4 of 1984 while the outlet was fined N50, 000,” he said.
Speaking further, he said: “I can also recall that the late publisher, Alex Ibru, almost paid the supreme price for not interfering in the editorial independence of the newspaper when he was alive and a
minister in the late Gen. Sanni Abacha government.
“This was a time when many publishers were either cautious or singing the praises of Abacha as Nigeria’s saviour but not The Guardian. Alex Ibru could have made so much money from Abacha but he refused. His stance has ensured that The Guardian remains relevant among the respected media outlets in Nigeria today. Several newspapers have risen and attempted to be like The Guardian but none has succeeded.”
He advised that the newspaper should strategise on how to not only remain relevant and sustainable in the next 40 years, but also rise to the digital challenge so that, even in the next 400 years, it will still be relevant, sustainable and be the darling of readers.
“It should continue to maintain editorial independence that it is known for. It must invest in running the outlet using the business model that will keep it afloat. It should also headhunt for the best
hands in the industry and bring them onboard. That way, it will be the oracle of news media outlets in Nigeria,” he added.
In the same vein, two avid readers of The Guardian
– the immediate former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Prof. Sonni Tyoden and the current senator from the Plateau Central Zone, Senator Diket Plang, have congratulated the organisation on its
40th anniversary.
They wished the management and staff of the organisation more wins and successes as they try to bring national and global news items to the doorsteps of their customers.
Tyoden, a one time Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, said: “I would not be comfortable if I don’t read The Guardian in a day. There was a time that the newspaper stopped hitting the news stand or stopped coming to the state because of what management then attributed to low patronage in terms of advertisements.”
Plang, on his part, disclosed that one of his Physics lecturers in the university recommended reading of The Guardian to them, to brighten their English communication, adding that that was how he picked unquenchable interest in the paper till now.
According to him, he would make sure he influences at least one person to join him in his quest for the stuff, praying for more anniversaries for the paper.
