By SCM Staff Writer I Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025
ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday called on Nigerian media practitioners to embrace their role as the “Fourth Estate of the Realm” to actively champion nation-building and the sustenance of democracy, while assuring the industry that his administration would consider requests for tax relief and other vital interventions.
Speaking at the 21st Nigerian Guild of Editors Annual Conference (ANEC) 2025 in Abuja, President Tinubu made history by becoming the first sitting Nigerian President to physically attend the annual meeting.
His presence was lauded by Information and National Orientation Minister Mohammed Idris as a sign of the administration’s respect for a free press.
The Editor’s Role in the Digital Age
Addressing the conference, themed Democratic Governance and National Cohesion: Role of Editors, President Tinubu emphasized the critical responsibility of editors in an era defined by rapid information flow and rampant misinformation.
”Social media has made every citizen a potential publisher… Falsehood can take root before truth has time to speak,” the President stated. He charged the editors to make verification their anchor, balance their principle, and professional judgement their guide.
The President commended the Guild’s commitment to democracy, recalling that Nigerian journalism has historically been “an instrument of national awakening,” from challenging colonialism to sustaining hope during military rule. He urged editors to shape public discourse constructively, avoiding the temptation to “tear down” but rather to “help build a better society.”
Pledges of Support and Fiscal Incentives
In response to pleas from the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) President, Eze Anaba, President Tinubu promised to consider a range of requests aimed at bolstering the financial health and operational freedom of news organizations.
The NGE’s requests included:
Corporate tax relief for media houses.
VAT exemption on media inputs.
Tax incentives for advertisers.
Legal protection and the repeal of laws that restrict press freedom.
The creation of an independently managed Media Development Fund to support digital innovation.
President Tinubu assured the editors that the administration is determined to return the nation to a state of peace and prosperity, urging them to partner in building a “climate of reason and unity.”
Focus on Electoral Integrity and Trust
Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodimma, spoke on the conference theme, stressing that editors must be catalysts for a sound democratic future and take responsibility for electoral integrity.
Governor Uzodimma warned that media coverage of the 2023 elections contributed to public mistrust, citing the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer which showed that 49 per cent of Nigerians distrust the media. He cautioned that framing every disagreement as a crisis and every electoral challenge as systemic fraud “feed polarisation and deepen distrust.”
NGE President Eze Anaba echoed the call for high standards, urging his colleagues to uphold truth, fairness, and balance, and to resist playing to the gallery. “Editors must defend the sanctity of truth, insist on transparency, and hold power to account — not as adversaries of government, but as constructive partners,” he concluded.
Minister Mohammed Idris reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to an unfettered media practice, noting that over one thousand broadcasting stations are operating freely, and “no media house has been threatened, gagged or shut down for expressing dissent” under President Tinubu
