Mary Nnah
Participants who marched through the streets of Lagos on October 25th to celebrate a man they described as a strong pillar of Nigeria’s democracy, Chief Raymond Anthony Dokpesi, a Nigerian media entrepreneur and Founder, of Daar Communications Plc, said the need for government to create a conducive environment for media organisations in Nigeria has become imperative if the media is to effectively discharge it constitutionally assigned duties of a watchdog.
The event was the 2022 Raymond Dokpesi Endurance Trek, a yearly event organised by Raymond Dokpesi Centre for Media and Development. The Centre was set up to promote media practice and national development and peace.
The theme for the 2022 Raymond Dokpesi Endurance Trek, which also aimed at getting the government to declare October 25th as a Day of Broadcasting in Nigeria, was “The Media, the Nation’s Stabiliser”.
The Head of Production, AIT, Lagos and Director-General of the Centre, Dr. Christopher Ebuetse said, “The Centre has always advised the government not to gag the press, fight the practitioners nor promote legislation that is inimical to the growth of the pres, stifle the media and prevent press freedom as such practices wouldn’t enhance development.”
He noted, however, that despite the harsh condition under which the Nigerian media strives, it has continued to play the role of the nation’s stabiliser, enhancing economic growth, and national security, and promoting the socio-political development of the country.
He noted further that this year’s endurance trek was to reflect on the life of an enigma who started private broadcasting in Nigeria, adding, “Each time we celebrate the development of private broadcasting, we reflect on the tenacity of the man who started it all, pioneering the first private broadcasting company in Nigeria.”
Ebuetse said, therefore, “The gathering remained symbolic as it stands for the voices of the Nigerians in our collective resolve in the promotion of private broadcasting”, adding, “The media in Nigeria, like any advanced country, has continued to play the role of the nation’s stabiliser.”
One of the participants, Chairperson of Ota Civil Society Road Monitoring Committee, Olajumoke Odeyemi, said “The government needs to do more to encourage the media without the media, ordinary [people will not enlightened about a lot o happenings in the nation and around the world.”
While recognising the fact that in Nigeria, it is quite expensive and difficult for private investors in broadcasting to succeed, a legal practitioner, Isacc Ogbah, implored the government to always give incentives to media practitioners to enable them to carry out their job adequately and comfortably. He said, “Nothing stops the government from giving the media practitioner incentives like loans. They give various airlines subventions, they give banks billions of naira, so what stops the government from giving private media practitioners some loans and other incentives for them to perform better and compete favourably with CNN and BBC.”
Applauding the Founder, of Daar Communications Plc, Mr. Raymond Dokpesi for the giant strides he took years ago by setting up the first private radio station in Nigeria, Ray Power 100.5 FM which set the stage for private broadcast stations to emerge, the MD of Radio Services, Daar Communications Plc, Ambrose Aomide, said, “One individual came up to disrupt the way have always done things and since he intervened in broadcasting, things have changed for better. Today we have in the Lagos area alone close to 50 radio stations and in Oyo state, we have close to 30 if not more, and all over the country we have over 600 radio and TV stations majorly owned by private individuals and organisations is remarkable.”
