Picture… Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan some members of his cabinet and officials of the Guild of Editors in Asaba on Thursday: courtesy, NAN.
Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, on Thursday tasked Editors to ensure that they do not slack in their role as stimulators of national discourse.
They spoke at the 9th All Nigerian Editors Conference holding in Asaba, Delta State, with theme, “Nigeria beyond oil: Role of the Editor.”
Uduaghan in his speech, said: “I am happy this conference is organized by editors for editors. I hold editors, and, indeed all journalists, in high esteem. I see editors as highly educated men (otherwise how do they hope to educate the rest of the society?). I see you as highly principled and courageous with many having paid the price by the loss of their liberties at different points in our history.
“An editor is a leader; he is an administrator and an executive. He has to combine these qualities and virtues to make success of the trust handed him by the society. The media men are the only professionals who have the constitutionally recognized role of keeping the country safe and sane.
“Most times, he weighs what to write—what must be published or broadcast in the national interest and what to keep from the public consciousness also in the national interest. Well, one hazard I must not forget is that in this noble cause, when it suits some leaders, an Editor is a patriot, but when the same leaders come under the tough searchlight of the Editor, there is a backlash, the Editor is branded a villain. I guess you might say head you win, tail you lose.
“I salute you as great contributors to the building of this country. The history of the struggle for Nigerian independence cannot be written without a good mention of the roles played by the Nigerian media and the writers and editors.
Anyim urged Editors to always put elected officials on guard by stimulating discourse and setting agenda on national development.
In his welcome address, President, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr Femi Adesina said Nigeria needed to envision and evolve a nation beyond oil or it could “perish’’.
He said: “Nigeria must now diversify, or die. For well over four decades, we have run a mono-product economy.
“Petroleum has been our mainstay, and we have allowed the easy money from oil to strangulate other cash cows like agriculture, solid minerals, tourism and many others.
“But as they say, `everyday is not Christmas, and the Egungun (masquerade) festival must end one day. The honeymoon is about ending.’’
Adesina also told the conference that “oil is fast becoming a vanishing source of easy revenue. Nigeria once had a pride of being one of the largest producers of petroleum on the continent, but not anymore.
“Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroun, Chad and some others have also found oil. And much more contentious is the fact that America, our largest customer has discovered shale oil and so may not need to patronise us again.
“I tell you doomsday is by the corner, except we become proactive and stave off the evil.’’
He argued that it was inconceivable that a country which could no longer fund its imports remained a consumer nation.
He queried: “Can you conceive the chilling prospect of a country no longer able to pay wages and salaries to its army of civil and public servants?’’