The Ohinoyi (paramount traditional ruler) of Ebiraland in Kogi State, late Alhaji Dr. Ado Ibrahim made a posthumous donation of N250,000 to the pulse of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) today, June 17, in Abuja.
GOCOP launched the first Book it ever published, titled: “Nigeria Media Renaissance: GOCOP Perspectives on Online Publishing,” alongside a N2.3 billion fundraising campaign for the GOCOP media centre.
In a message sent to the event, the son of the late monarch and Executive Director of some of his investments, Prince Nazir Ado Ibrahim said that the cash donation was on behalf of his late father.
He said that as lover of media men and women, late Ado Ibrahim would have been physically present at such an occasion that drew top notch journalists, editors and publishers from across the country if he had been alive.
Late Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ado IbrahimPrince Nazir Ado Ibrahim recalled that the first set of people his late father invited and interacted with in his palace at Okene, when he was crowned as Ohinoyi on June 2, 1997, following the death of his predecessor, Alhaji Sanni Omolori, were senior journalists from Lagos, Abuja and Kano.
“And throughout his reign until his death on October 29, 2023, in Abuja at the age of 94 (born February 7, 1929) after a brief illness, the late paramount ruler maintained close relationship with media and the practitioners. He successfully and diplomatically used them to attract the attention of government at all levels to the needs of his subjects.
“Such a ruler, a bundle of humility, grassroot oriented, media friendly and cheerful mien will continue to live in our memories till the end.”
Apart from the cash donation from the late monarch, many dignitaries who attended the event did not announce the specific amount they donated.
The dignitaries included the minister of information and national orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the immediate past information minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on media and strategy, Bayo Onanuga and representative of Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni in the person of his information commissioner, Abdullahi Bego.
Others were representatives of the NNPCL, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), NEMA, Nigerian Customs Service, Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, the Inspector General of Police as well as top government officials.
The 197-page book was reviewed by the President of the Nigerian Public Institute of Relations (NIPR), Dr Ike Neliaku
The publication, a timely and compelling exploration of journalism in the modern digital era, captures the evolving role of journalism in the digital age, championing ethical standards and innovation in online journalism.
The book explores the enduring core values of journalism, truth, fairness, and accountability and a conscious effort to reset the tone, ethics, and values that underpin journalism in the digital age.
This was even as the Minister of Information and National Orientation urged GOCOP to step up its task of checkmating the menace of fake news.
He challenged the Guild to look out for peddlers of fake news even if they are not members of the Guild with a view to exposing them.
He assured that President Tinubu is committed to a professional, free, fair and vibrant press in Nigeria, adding that FG is willing to work with the press to strengthen democracy and shape the future of the journalism in Nigeria.
