The Debate Over Nigeria's Future Can Be Tense But Must Not Be Polarizing Or Toxic
Channel: Prof. Yemi Osinbajo
Date: 24/05/2021

“The media can help to promote a climate of civility in which even the most contentious national issues can be discussed in full and frank terms without degenerating into chaos.

“Let us reject the temptation to fracture our society and choose instead to elevate those constructive elements in our midst that can promote justice, healing, and togetherness.”

Below is the full text of the Vice President’s remarks:

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT “AN AFTERNOON OF TRIBUTES FOR DEPARTED MEDIA LEADERS”, ORGANIZED BY THE NIGERIAN PRESS ORGANIZATION (NPO) AND THE BROADCASTING ORGANIZATION OF NIGERIA (BON), ON FRIDAY, 21ST MAY 2021 AT THE MUSON CENTRE, LAGOS.

PROTOCOLS

Let me begin by saying how privileged I am for being here, joining you to honour the memories of the recently departed leaders in the media.

The roll call of these leading lights that have left us is a truly impressive one and it can be said without exaggeration that eternity has claimed a rich harvest. These men were remarkable and outstanding – giants of their craft in every right. While we recognize that their exit leaves a significant vacuum, this gathering serves a threefold purpose.

It is at once a celebration of their lives and the illustrious tradition to which they belonged, a reflection on their legacies, and an affirmation of the great values for which they stood.

The Nigerian press has deep roots going back about 150 years. Indeed, the Nigerian press came into existence before Nigeria itself and was instrumental to the birthing of this nation.

The pantheon of the heroes of free speech as an institution to which our honorees belong is indeed a rich one. Several luminaries of the anti-colonial and nationalist movement were also leading figures in the press. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ernest Ikoli, Anthony Enahoro, Herbert Macaulay first established themselves as journalists of repute. Indeed, at one point, Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo controlled five and ten newspapers respectively.

Considering its origins as a bastion of the nationalist struggle, it is not surprising that relations between the Nigerian press and the Nigerian state were largely adversarial in the years after we gained our independence from the British. This dynamic was accentuated by the succession of military dictatorships that seized power following the collapse of the First Republic in 1966.

Since the military rule is defined mainly by the abbreviation of civil liberties and in particular the right to freedom of expression, the press found itself on the opposite side of a confrontation with the military regimes of that era. The apogee of the tensions between the press and the military in the 1970s was the nationalization of the Daily Times.

Those with long memories will remember the 1970s as the era in which Gbolabo Ogunsanwo and Eddie Aderinokun came into their own as editors of the Sunday Times and Daily Express respectively. Both of these giants held court as two of the most respected journalists and public commentators of their time.

Who can forget Ogunsanwo’s interventions on the Joseph Tarka-Godwin Daboh affair; the cement importation scandal or Cement Armada; Kuku-TOS Benson tango, etc.

Eddie Aderinokun was exceptional, an accomplished poet, the compilations like Ebony on Snow, Dance of the Vulture and the prescient Dark Days are Here. He was one of the earliest and most influential promoters of Nigerian music and entertainment.

Broadcast journalism also had its shining exemplars of professional excellence. Thus, the late Ben Egbuna was the golden voice of the network news of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in the 1980s and 1990s which guided the nation through a turbulent period. A forty-year veteran of the broadcast industry, he would serve as news director of the Voice of Nigeria and rise to be the Director-General of the FRCN. He also served as the president of the African Union of Broadcasters. But what will live long in our memories is the rich texture of his voice interpreting national events for millions of Nigerians for nearly two decades.



**Read the full speech here: https://www.yemiosinbajo.ng/an-afternoon-of-tributes-for-departed-media-leaders-organized-by-nigerian-press-organization-broadcasting-organization-of-nigeria



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Oluyemi Oluleke “Yemi” Osinbajo is a Nigerian Lawyer and politician who is the current Vice President of Nigeria, in office since 29 May 2015.

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