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Editors seek special concession on newsprint
ABIODUN FELIX,
Osogbo
NIGERIAN
Guild of Editors (NGE) rose from its first Annual Conference, weekend, urging
the Federal Government to consider the classification of newsprint, a vital
newspaper publishing input, as educational material "for the purpose of import
duty calculations.
Lower newsprint cost equates to reduced
cost of newspapers and magazines and easier access to information, a right, by a
significant proportion of the populace.
The Guild also expressed satisfaction at
the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill by the House of
Representatives and called on the Senate and President Olusegun Obasanjo to
hasten the process of passing and signing the bill into law.
In a communique issued at the end of the
conference held at Mic Com Golf Hotel and Resorts, Ada, Osun State, the Guild
expressed optimism that the Senate would pass the bill which is aimed at
professionalising journalism and improve the lot of journalists.
The communique signed by the NGE
president, Mr. Baba Halilu Dantiye, and the Secretary, Ms Angela Agoawike, also
called for a stakeholders’ conference to discuss, among others, the issues of
the declining circulation of newspapers, high cost of inputs, high tariffs,
advert sales and readership apathy.
The Guild also called on the government to
"consider significant reductions in the charges and fees imposed on broadcast
licences and equipment."
The conference, held from August 25 to
yesterday was attended by about 140 editors and participants also alerted
government to urgently curb corruption which they termed as "dangerous to
society and can be extremely devastating to the media."
According to the Editors, "while
acknowledging the attempt by the Federal Government to fight corruption and
economic crimes, the conference calls on all media practitioners and
stakeholders to adopt a zero tolerance to corruption in the media and indeed, in
the society at large."
The Guild urged reporters to live up to
their contractual obligations to media practitioners through regular payment of
salaries and incentives as well as the provision of appropriate work
environment.
"Although, the profit motive has come to
define modern media, business, media owners and practitioners are enjoined not
to lose right of their obligations to society," the communique added.
On the state of the economy, the
conference called on all citizens to demonstrate genuine commitment to the
Federal Government’s economic reforms, saying the reform programme "constitutes
the road map to national economic progress."
The conference, while condemning economic
reforms, however, counselled against forceful democratization of Labour by the
government and suggested that workers should be allowed the right to determine
the shape of their union.
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