The Chairman, Punch Nigeria Limited, Mr.
Wale Aboderin, has harped on the need for the country’s media to uphold
integrity through balanced and truthful reporting.
Aboderin, who spoke on Friday night during a Channels Television programme, attributed the success of PUNCH newspapers to its standpoint on integrity, adding that the newspaper would not compromise its anti-corruption stance.
The PUNCH chairman spoke on
media integrity, Freedom of Information Act, the reading culture in
Nigeria and media survival owing to the economic recession.
Aboderin said the media have not made
the most of the FoI Act because some corrupt persons in government do
not want the truth to be told.
He also said plans to sanitise the country’s judiciary were in order, adding that such plans should extend to lower courts.
He said, “I will attribute my success to the grace of God. PUNCH has a brand statement which is to uphold integrity. We will tell the truth regardless of whose ox is gored.
“The truth is the brand that PUNCH is all about. Unfortunately, we have some media established for some political reasons. But we are different.
“Our mission is to teach a lesson of
integrity to the leaders. We tend to favour the downtrodden man who
needs an opportunity to express himself. The media should simply report
the truth and let the public decide. This is what makes us stand out.”
Aboderin advised the youth to identify
persons of integrity amongst them and support such people to be elected
into positions of authority.
He urged youths not to rely on godfathers to assume leadership positions.
He said “Thank God for the expose of the
Supreme Court judges. And I believe it should go all the way down. They
(corrupt judges) put so many obstacles in the path of justice and
truth.
“If you want to use the FoI Act, there
are so many things that will want to discourage you. We go the extra
mile and spend extra time to get the truth. There are many obstacles
because; the lie does not want the truth to come out.”
Aboderin said the print media would remain relevant despite the advancement in technology.
He noted that efforts to revive the reading culture were frustrated by the government through excessive taxation.
He called on the governments at all levels to make education cheaper and affordable.
“I once said that government should reduce taxes and import duties on educational materials. The country will definitely change.
“Tackling corruption is another angle.
Corruption cannot tackle corruption. But make education cheaper.
Everybody would embrace it.
“There are many young people who really
want to do something meaningful but they need a ladder to get to the
next level,” he said.
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