MEDIA IN NIGERIA #02 - 21 (09 JUNE 2003)

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MEDIA IN NIGERIA is a weekly publication on developments within and
affecting the media/communication/freedom of expression sector in Nigeria.

It is an initiative of the Institute for Media and Society (IMS), a
non-profit,
non-governmental organization based in Lagos, Nigeria.
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NEWS

MEDIA - GENERAL
-NIGERIA HOSTS ACCE CONFERENCE
-EKWENSI, CELEBRATED AUTHOR, ADVOVATES BETTER READING
CULTURE
-POLL RATES GOVT ON PRESS MEDIA FREEDOM
-REMI OYO REPLACES OSENI AS OBASANJO'SMEDIA ADVISER

BROADCAST - MEDIA
-NBC MAY LICENSE COMMUNITY RADIO OPERATORS

INFOTECH - MEDIA
-STAKEHOLDERS LAUD NEW TELECOM LAWS
-NITDA ORGANIZES IT LITERARACY DRILLS FOR TOP CIVIL SERVANTS
-TELEPHONY: NIGERIA MAY HIT THE 4 MILLION MARK BY DECEMBER
-ATCON TASKS GOVERNMENT ON TELECOMS DEVELOPMENT

ADVERTISING - MEDIA
-APCON ADVOCATES AUTONOMY FOR ASP

MEDIA - GENERAL

NIGERIA HOSTS ACCE CONFERENCE

Abuja, the Nigerian capital, will, between August 10 and 13, 2003 play host
to a gathering of distinguished academics and professionals in the field of
communication as the 13th biennial conference of the African Council for
Communication Education (ACCE) gets underway.

The conference is expected to feature the presentation of academic and
professional papers, workshops and specialized panels.

Several renowned communication and allied scholars and professionals have
been invited to present papers or participate in the conference whose high
point is expected to be a special symposium and festschrift in honour of
Alfred Opubor, the first Nigerian professor of mass communication and
pioneer head of department of mass communication, University of Lagos.

ACCE, founded in 1975, is a scholarly and professional Pan African
Organisation that focuses on all functional areas in the field of
communications including information management, mass media, ICT, marketing
communication/Advertising and public relation.

EKWENSI, CELEBRATED AUTHOR, ADVOVATES BETTER READING CULTURE

Distinguished author, Cyprian Ekwensi, at this year's World Book Day in
Abuja, suggested a revival of the nation's fast eroding reading culture, to
enhance the drive to bring up thinking and creative minds for genuine
national development.

The author who has thirty books to his credit, lamented the falling standard
of education, which he blamed on the poor standard of the people who are
supposed to be transferring knowledge to learners.

He warned that learning continue to be impaired if the mind is not freed
from the worries associated with earning decent living in these difficult
times. He called on the government to create jobs for citizens to free
their minds for creative enterprise.

POLL RATES GOVT ON MEDIA FREEDOM

The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo has been rated by Nigerians on
the level of interference in the work of the mass media and generally
guarantee of freedom of expression.

The verdicts were delivered via an opinion poll conducted by The Guardian
newspaper. The poll, which sampled 2800 opinions, saw 40.5 percent or
1,134 of the respondents answering "moderate Degree" to the question: "To
what extent has government allowed the Newspapers and Magazines to operate
without interference?.

For the radio, 1154 respondents (or 41.2 percent) considered government
interference in the operations as "moderate", while 1088 respondents (38.9
percent) also considered government interference with television as
"moderate".

For the newspapers, radio and television, 765 (27.3 percent), 628 (22.4
percent) and 580 (20.7 percent) respectively, considered government
interference as high.

REMI OYO, NGE PRESIDENT, REPLACES OSENI AS OBASANJO'S MEDIA ADVISER

The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Oluremi Oyo, has been
appointed as Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to President Olusegun
Obasanjo.

Oyo, who was recently re-elected president of the NGE, steps into the shoes
of Tunji Oseni, who is being speculated to get speculation, a position of
higher responsibility in the presidency.

By her appointment, Oyo becomes the first woman in recent Nigerian history
to be media adviser to a serving president.

An employee of Inter Press Service (IPS) about three Oyo has decades of
media experience.

BROADCAST MEDIA

NBC MAY LICENSE COMMUNITY RADIO OPERATORS

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has indicated its desire to grant
licenses to community radio operators in the country. Silas Yisa, Director
- General of the commission who dropped the hint in Lagos, during the
celebration of the 35th World Telecommunication Day, revealed that the
commission was in the process of setting out policies and procedures that
would aid the realization of the objective.

The move, he said, will improve public education and social awareness,
adding that "the broadcast media constitute the most powerful and potent
tools of opinion moulding, social mobilization and attitudinal change.

Currently, the NBC supervise and regulates over 250 broadcast stations, but
none is community owned or operated.

INFOTECH

STAKEHOLDERS LAUD NEW TELECOM LAWS

The passing into law of the Nigeria Communications Bill by the out-gone
National Assemble has rekindle hope of increased pace of development of the
telecommunications industry among stakeholders. Among other things, the
laws are expected to provide the much needed legal muscle to enable the NCC
discharge its regulatory responsibility without the encumbrance of funding
and constant interference from government.

Titi Omo-Ettu, Chief Executive, Executive Cyberschuul was quoted by The
Punch, as saying that the new laws will spin around the industry, raise the
level of competition and address poor rural communications facilities and
access to telecoms services.

NCC's Executive Vice Chairman, Ernest Ndukwe, expressed similar optimism,
adding that he expects the new laws to speed up the implementation of the
universal access programme.

NITDA ORGANIZES IT LITERARACY DRILLS FOR TOP CIVIL SERVANTS

The National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is
organizing an IT skill acquisition training programme for Federal Civil
servants.

The two-week programme which is for top civil servants including the Head of
Service, Directors, and other leads of key departments, is designed to take
participants through the basics of computer operations and other relevant
applications that would assist them to perform their duties effectively.

It is also the foundation for the implementation of the National IT policy,
which envisages future migration to e-government platform.

Under the policy, civil servants are required to be IT literate. New
entrants are also required to be functionally computer literate while IT
competence is also to be a major criteria for promotion and advancement
within the service.

TELEPHONY: NIGERIA MAY HIT THE 4 MILLION MARK BY DECEMBER

The fast improving teledensity of the country will witness a further boost
this year, with the prospect of available telephone lines crossing the four
million mark.

This rosy picture was painted by Ernest Ndukwe, Vice Chairman and Chief
Executive of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC). According to him,
the country's available telephone lines which rose to 2.2 million in 2002
from a paltry 450,000 in 2001, could cross the 4 million mark by December
this year.

The growth, it is envisaged, will come from mobile service sector which is
expected to extend its dominance of the telecoms market.

Currently, there are about 2.2 million telephone lines in Nigeria,
comprising about 722, 000 fixed landline and fixed wireless lines and more
than 1.5 million mobile lines.

ATCON TASKS GOVERNMENT ON TELECOMS DEVELOPMENT

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has urged
the Nigerian government to take step in tackling some issues that it
considers imperative, towards enhancing the growth of the telecoms industry
in the country.

Among these, as enumerated by the association's National President, Charles
Joseph, at the 35th Telecommunications Day in Abuja, are the extension of
the expiration of five percent duty regime which expires next August, by two
years and the establishment of a telecommunications development bank that
will ease the funding problems of stakeholders and increase the pace of
growth of the telecoms industry.

While applauding government's commitment to the development of the industry
in the last four years, ATCON urged it to provide the association with land
in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to build a befitting "Telecom
House".

ADVERTISING

APCON ADVOCATES AUTONOMY FOR ASP

In a determined move to streamline and enhance the regulation of advertising
practice in Nigeria the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON)
has proposed the establishment of a separate governing council for the
Advertising Standards Panel (ASP).

According to Josef Bel-Molokwu, Chief Executive of the council, the move,
coupled with the review of the various laws governing advertising practice,
would ultimately strengthen its powers to regulate every aspect of the
profession.

The APCON boss said the council is looking forward to the restructuring of
its governing council to give equal representation to sectoral interests in
the industry.

He advised government to make greater use of advertising in the conduct of
its affairs.

ENDS----

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