The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria has called on the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to move speedily with its economic reform programmes, saying elections are now over.
The association, in a communique signed by its President, Mallam Yusuf Kabiru, and General Secretary, Mrs Angela Emuwa, after its 2023 Annual General Meeting held on November 8 at its Secretariat in Maryland, Lagos, also called on the government to provide “the much-needed succour to the longsuffering Nigerians.”
The communique partly read, “At the AGM, the NPAN reviewed the state of the nation, the economy and the print media industry, and resolved as follows:
“Now that elections are over and the government has been constituted, the Federal Government should move speedily with its economic reform programme and provide the much-needed succour to the longsuffering Nigerians within the shortest time possible.”
The newspaper proprietors also expressed concern over what they called the lack of “a robust paper culture for the education and mobilisation” of Nigeria’s citizens despite the country’s size and youthful population.
They called on the government to review its policies on the paper industry in order to promote education and the newspaper sector.
The association said, “It is concerning that a nation of Nigeria’s size and youthful population lacks a robust paper culture for the education and mobilisation of its citizens.
“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.”
The communique further stated, “The NPAN added that the poor state of the newspaper industry indexes a poor democratic state as studies have shown a correlation between strong democracies and strong print media. The 10 best-performing economies globally, combine strong political culture with a vibrant print media.”