Nigeria To Host Maiden IPI Africa Meeting – Minister
In a move that reinforces Nigeria’s leadership in media development and press freedom across the continent, the Federal Government has announced that the country will host the maiden meeting of the African bloc of the National Committees of the International Press Institute (IPI).
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris, made the disclosure in Vienna, Austria, during a meeting with the IPI Executive Board Chairman, Mr Marton Gergely; the Executive Director, Mr Scott Griffen; and Nigeria’s representative on the IPI Board, Mr Raheem Adedoyin.
Idris said Nigeria was honoured to take the lead in hosting the first-ever IPI Africa meeting, noting that the country had successfully hosted the IPI World Congress and General Assembly in Abuja in 2018.
“Nigeria agrees to host the maiden meeting of the African bloc. It is a great honour for us to lead as we always do,” he stated.
The new regional blocs, approved by the IPI Board last week, aim to address region-specific media issues within the global IPI network.
While a date is yet to be fixed, Mr Griffen confirmed that the IPI Secretariat in Vienna will liaise with Mr Adedoyin and the IPI Nigeria National Committee to finalise the details.
Commending Nigeria’s consistent commitment to media freedom, Mr Gergely described the country as “a leading light in democratic governance with a free press.”
Mr Griffen also lauded the IPI Nigeria National Committee for its robust engagement in defending press freedom.
During his interaction with the IPI leadership, the Minister also revisited Nigeria’s request for IPI’s support to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), founded by the IPI in 1971 under the presidency of the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande.
The Minister was part of the Nigerian delegation to the just-concluded IPI World Congress and 75th Anniversary in Vienna, alongside IPI Board Member Raheem Adedoyin, IPI Nigeria President Musikilu Mojeed, and other notable media professionals.
Follow the Savinews Africa channel on WhatsApp: [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VawgaEL5vKA9Y5XTFg0n]
