Eze Anaba, president of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, painted a grim picture of the country’s media landscape, warning that many outlets are teetering on the brink as production costs surge while revenues shrink. He highlighted that a ton of newsprint now costs over ₦1.3 million, making it impossible for some organizations to pay their staff despite their best efforts.

Eze Anaba, president of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, painted a bleak picture of the country’s media landscape, warning that many outlets are on the brink of collapse as production costs soar and revenues shrink. He noted that a ton of newsprint now costs over ₦1.3 million, making it impossible for some organizations to pay staff despite their best efforts. Calling on the federal government, Anaba demanded a ten year tax holiday, VAT exemption on essential media inputs, and access to low interest loans from the Bank of Industry and the Development Bank of Nigeria. He also urged the creation of a Media Innovation Fund to help newsrooms modernize and embrace digital journalism, reminding everyone that “when the press thrives, democracy breathes; when the press is stifled, democracy suffocates.”

In a keynote address, Imo State Governor Senator Hope Uzodimma charged editors with a proactive role in safeguarding electoral integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections. He told them, “You are not spectators in 2027; you are catalysts. The stories you tell will shape whether Nigerians see the elections through a tribal lens or a shared national destiny.” Uzodimma warned that sensational and unverified reporting during the 2023 polls had eroded public trust, with nearly half of Nigerians now skeptical of the media, and called for responsible journalism so that 2027 becomes the year the press builds a united democratic future.

Eze Anaba, head of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, warned that the nation’s media outlets are under severe financial pressure as production costs rise and revenues fall. He said the industry is “distressed,” explaining that many organizations cannot pay staff not because of mismanagement but because newsprint now costs over ₦1.3 million per ton. Anaba urged the federal government to grant a ten year tax holiday, exempt essential media inputs from VAT, and provide low interest loans through the Bank of Industry and the Development Bank of Nigeria. He also called for a Media Innovation Fund to help newsrooms modernize and adopt digital journalism, stressing that “press freedom fuels democracy; when the press is stifled, democracy suffers.”

In a keynote address, Imo State Governor Senator Hope Uzodimma told editors they must act as active guardians of electoral integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections. “You are not spectators in 2027; you are catalysts,” he said, adding that the stories they tell will determine whether Nigerians view the polls through tribal lenses or as a shared national destiny. He reminded the audience that sensational, unverified reporting during the 2023 elections eroded public trust, with nearly half of Nigerians now skeptical of the media, and called for responsible journalism so that 2027 becomes the year the press builds a united democratic future.