President Bola Tinubu has expressed his approval of Lekeelekee, a social media platform recently launched by Prince Nduka Obaigbena, the Chairman and Editor- in-Chief of THISDAY Media Group and ARISE News Channel. Tinubu highlighted the platform's aim to transform digital communication and challenge the established dominance of Western technology companies.
He encouraged Nigerians to rally behind Lekeelekee and other initiatives that foster African ingenuity and enhance the nation's digital and media landscape. The President shared these thoughts on Friday during an interfaith session to break the Ramadan fast at the State House in Abuja, where he met with leaders from the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).
Tinubu specifically referenced Lekeelekee as a significant stride towards achieving greater technological and media autonomy for Nigeria. "We will run with the stick with you and say ‘Nigeria we hail thee.’ We will survive the challenges,” the President remarked, acknowledging Obaigbena's contribution amidst discussions on foreign influence in digital spaces.
The administration has pledged its backing for ventures intended to safeguard Nigeria's media industry from the pervasive influence of foreign technology. President Tinubu stated that the government is actively in dialogue with major global tech firms, including Meta and Google, to address the impacts these companies have on the Nigerian media environment.
Beyond digital matters, the President called upon state and local governments to ensure that increased federal funding leads to concrete improvements at the community level. He emphasized that recent fiscal adjustments and the direct disbursement of funds to local councils have bolstered their financial capabilities.
Tinubu urged the media to broaden its oversight functions to include state governors and local government chairmen, holding them accountable for the utilisation of public funds. "Don’t bombard me alone; look out to the local government too,” he advised, pointing out that enhanced fiscal space has also improved the financial standing of states.
"Equally the sub-nationals are enjoying the freedom. Today, no state is borrowing to pay the salaries of employees,” he added.
The President defended the difficult economic decisions made early in his tenure, such as the removal of fuel subsidies, asserting they were critical to averting national economic collapse. "At the time, we had to confront the subsidy; Nigeria was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy,” he explained.
He affirmed that these reforms, despite causing initial hardship, have successfully stabilised the nation's economy. "Today I can stand proudly before you that we are back from that brink,” he stated.
Furthermore, Tinubu assured media organizations that their concerns regarding import duties on newsprint and broadcasting equipment would be reviewed by the government.
Earlier in the event, Olusegun Osoba, Grand Patron of NPAN and former Ogun State governor, lauded President Tinubu for implementing transformative economic reforms. Frank Aigbogun, Publisher of BusinessDay Newspapers, speaking for the Nigeria Press Organisation, praised the President's positive engagement with the media and requested government intervention on tariffs impacting media operations.
Aigbogun also called for measures to protect journalists and media outlets from the growing influence of international technology platforms that leverage editorial content without fair compensation.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, reaffirmed the government's dedication to press freedom. He revealed that regulatory bodies are already engaged with prominent technology companies regarding their influence on Nigeria's media sector. "All the regulatory agencies are already engaging the big tech, Meta and Google. The President will not allow anybody to come here, reap from our economy and go away,” Idris assured.
Idris also reassured media leaders of the Tinubu administration's unwavering commitment to press freedom. "At no time has the President ever called me to say go and do this or go and do that to the press. He is himself a product of press freedom,” the minister concluded.
Deji Elumoye
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