Nigeria currently has 172 million active telephone subscribers, of which 141 million are internet users, accounting for 81.9% of the total, and 105 million are broadband users. She urged subscribers to turn off social media autoplay, limit background data, delete unused apps, activate data-saving modes, and use Wi-Fi whenever possible.
Nnenna Ukoha, the Director of Public Affairs at the NCC, emphasized the importance of the media in communicating regulatory efforts to the public, saying, “You are the ones that transmit and convey our transformative policies to the people of Nigeria. Therefore, I invite you to be open and talk to us freely.”
In order to encourage community radio, investigative journalism, and newsroom innovation, Soneye also urged the federal government to set up an independent media development fund.
His request is in line with several requests from media players, including as the Nigerian Guild of Editors, for President Bola Tinubu to step in and rescue the sector in the face of the nation’s dire economic circumstances.
NGE President Anaba Eze stated that the lack of resource materials is the largest threat to the existence of the media during the All Nigerian Editors Conference, which was recently held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
“Media companies are under increasing pressure to keep up with contemporary developments while preserving their financial stability and journalistic ethics. The availability of resources to create our newspapers or transmit on our TV stations is the worst challenge to media existence today, according to Anaba.
In a same vein, stakeholders at the NGE’s third edition of the Lateef Jakande Annual Memorial Lecture encouraged the government to provide direct and indirect subsidies to support the media, pointing out that in several nations, journalist allowances are either completely tax-free or drastically cut.
Grace Ike, the chairperson of the NUJ FCT Council, explained why Soneye was honored, calling him a model communications professional who has continuously pushed for a more robust, independent, and sustainable Nigerian media.
