Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
Mainstream or traditional media has been described as the most effective means of tackling the menace of fake news or false information dissemination in the society hence the need to encourage more investment in mainstream media in Nigeria.
International businessman and proprietor of Akwa Amaka Group, Mr. Stanley Obodoagwu, made this assertion in Asaba during the public presentation of the maiden of edition of AA Magazine, a quarterly general interest contemporary standard publication, with eminent journalist, Mayor Ikoroha.
The cover of the magazine is adorned with Nollywood star and “model Nigerian polygamist” and wife of flamboyant Nigerian So Ned Nwoko, Regina Daniels, also featured President Bola Tinubu’s bumpy ride into the Nigerian presidency, the Peter Obi phenomenon in Nigeria’s politics, Governor Oborevwori efforts to excel in Delta State without delay as well as an interview with headline making investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, among others.
To Nigerian businessmen who seem to think that investment in media business is a waste of time and resources, the AA Magazine publisher such perception was because “they do not realize the enormous power of the media in information, education and entertainment.”
According to Obodoagwu, aside from presenting authoritative Nigerian and African perspective on global developmental issues, the traditional news media like AA Magazine would continue to hold the best potential for effectively tackling the menace of fake news, which has been particularly embarrassing in the Nigerian media space, and which has been amplified by an unregulated, free-for-all social media.
The challenge posed by the excesses of social media and fake news could be well countered with accurate, reliable and verified information in order to save the vulnerable Nigerian and global population.
Obodoagwu, who vowed to continue to empower Nigerian youths, said: “Fake news remains a threat to societal peace, harmony and development; and, and the mainstream media continues to play a huge role in feeding the public with information that is not only accurate but also helps in building the society.
“My interest and investments in the media are deliberate and methodical; I believe in the power of the media to inform, educate and entertain. More importantly, I believe in using the media to tell the Nigerian and African story.”
The Akwa Amaka Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, however, lamented that the insecurity situation in the Southeast of the country has stalled work on what was designed to be the biggest films village in Africa by his organisation sited in his native Akwa in Ihiala in Anambra State.
