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Headline News

• Sacked workers drag The Guardian ro IAP
• ITF partners with the media
• Four senior members of NAN on suspension
• Young journalists honoured
• Support for press freedom in China

Highlights

We must encourage the younger generation of broadcasters

Broadcasting for Peter Igho has been a way of life. He got into broadcasting through the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, where he has spent the last 33 years, occupying such positions as a general manager, programmes, executive director, programmes and lately executive director, marketing. An award-winning producer, he has produced such TV drama classics as Cock crow at dawn, Mirror in the sun, Moment of truth, etc. Igho, celebrated his 60th birthday on March 29, a few days after retiring from the NTA. In this interview with MR's Femi Babatunde, he shares his experience as a broadcaster. Excerpts:

The challenges of newspaper publishing in Nigeria in the 21st century

The primary challenge of newspaper publishing is basically the same in all countries. That challenge is, not surprisingly, the same challenge that faces all human institutions: the challenge of survival. Newspaper publishing is a risky and capital intensive venture. Anyone who sought a bank loan to establish a newspaper knows that newspaper publishing is rated triple X, meaning highly risky, by bankers. But that fact has never intimidated newspaper publishers. They are brave men and women. You can hardly find a group of people more committed to the good of their societies than these brave men. Their common characteristic is their sense of altruism and their focused commitment to public weal and good government. They take the time to spell out their mission. The mission statement usually, but not in all cases, forms the editorial policies by which newspapers promise to live and, if it comes to that, die.

BUSINESS REPORTING

Making meaning of stock market reporting
One of the fallouts of the banking reforms of 2004, without doubt, has been the unprecedented interest in the activities of the Stock market by Nigerians who are gradually cultivating the habit of investing in the shares of publicly quoted companies. This interest, in turn, has given rise to a media frenzy with every medium, whether print or electronic, devoting substantial space and airtime to covering the Stock market to assist the public in making profitable investment decisions. However, despite the wide publicity given to trading on the floor by the media, there has been a noticeable paucity of information on the market which could help investors make informed judgments...| Read more

PEOPLE

My plan was to be an academician
Dr. Reuben Abati, Chairman editorial Board of Guardian Newspapers Ltd, needs no introduction in Nigeria's media industry today. He has carved a niche for himself in the practice of journalism. In this interview with MR’S Funmi TaiwoTaiwo and Femi Babatunde, he relieves his experience in the media...| Read more

KUDOS & KNOCKS

KUDOS & KNOCKS
Kudos to The Guardian for vividly capturing the scene where two estranged political friends, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his vice, Atiku Abubakar, met. The report published in the March 16 edition of the paper was on the 10th year remembrance of the death of Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua. Not only did the paper publish the detailed account of the lively conversation between the duo, it also accompanied the story with a good photograph, showing the two gladiators temporarily putting aside their differences to honour the senior Yar'Adua, who was Obasanjo's deputy when he was a military Head of State and who was Atiku's political mentor.

It was the first time both would meet after their protracted public squabbles, which continued after their exit from power on May 29, 2007.

The exchange of greetings between them went thus;
Atiku: Mr. President
OBJ: Mr. Vice President before
Atiku: Mr. President before...| Read more

HUMOUR

Extra Money
A mass communication student called up his mom one evening from the university and asked her for some money, because he was broke. His mother said, "Sure, sweetie. I will send you some money. You also left your advertising book here when you visited two weeks ago. Do you want me to send that up too?” "Uhh, oh yeah, O.K." responded the student.

So his mom wrapped the book along with the cheque up in a package, kissed dad goodbye, and went to the post office to mail the money and the book. When she gets back, dad asked, "Well how much did you give the boy this time?" "Oh, I wrote two cheques, one for N2000, and the other for N18,000 out to him." "That's N20000!!!" yelled dad, "Are you going crazy???" "Don't worry honey," mom said, kissed dad on the on top of his bald head, "I taped the N2000 cheque to the cover of his book, but I put the N18,000 one somewhere between the pages in chapter 15!" ..| Read more

PHOTOGRAPHY

Where are the helmets?
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