President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pledged his administration’s support for Nigerian media organisations in their campaign against what they describe as the dominance and anti-competitive practices of major technology companies.
The President also assured stakeholders that his government would consider tariff relief on key materials used by media organisations.
Tinubu described the press as an indispensable partner in Nigeria’s pursuit of economic stability, press freedom and social cohesion.
He gave the assurance during an interfaith dinner with a delegation from the Nigerian Press Organisation (NPO) at the State House.
The delegation was led by the organisation’s president and publisher of The Guardian, Maiden Alex‑Ibru.
Other members of the delegation included prominent figures in the Nigerian media industry such as Olusegun Osoba, publisher of Vanguard; Sam Amuka, chairman of THISDAY and Arise News; Nduka Obaigbena; and chairman of Channels Television, John Momoh.
Also present were the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Saliu Abdulhamid Dembos; veteran journalist Ray Ekpu; President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba; President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Danlami Nmodu; and President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi, among others.
During the meeting, the President disclosed that his administration was reviewing the tariff exemption list and might include essential media production materials such as newsprint, printing plates, chemicals and broadcasting equipment.
These items currently attract tariffs ranging from five to ten per cent. If approved for exemption, they would enjoy a status similar to educational and research materials.
Tinubu said the government recognised the economic challenges facing the media industry, particularly the rising cost of production materials and equipment.
“You have the government’s full support because we know how important your work is to the sustenance of democracy,” he said.
Earlier, the Deputy President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and publisher of BusinessDay, Frank Aigbogun, raised concerns about the activities of major technology companies.
Speaking on behalf of the NPO, Aigbogun accused some technology firms of scraping proprietary media content to train artificial intelligence models, sometimes by breaching digital paywalls.
He urged the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) to investigate complaints that the dominance of major tech companies and their anti-competitive practices were depriving local media organisations of up to 70 percent of their legitimate revenue.
According to him, the situation has contributed to significant financial losses and reduced employment opportunities within the Nigerian media industry.
