Media Owners Urge Tinubu to Protect Nigerian Journalism From Big Tech Exploitation

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Media owners in Nigeria have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to protect the country’s journalism industry from what they described as exploitation by global technology companies that profit from Nigerian news content without compensating local publishers.

The appeal was made on Friday during a meeting between the president and leaders of the Nigerian media industry at the State House in Abuja. The gathering brought together representatives of key media bodies including the Nigerian Press Organisation, the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

Speaking on behalf of the Nigerian Press Organisation, its president and publisher of BusinessDay, Frank Aigbogun, urged the Federal Government to intervene and safeguard journalism jobs threatened by large technology platforms that use editorial content produced by Nigerian newsrooms without providing remuneration.

Aigbogun also called on the government to reduce import tariffs on newsprint and broadcasting equipment, noting that rising production costs and unregulated digital competition were placing heavy pressure on the survival of many media organisations in the country.

Responding to the concerns, President Tinubu acknowledged the crucial role the media plays in national development and assured stakeholders that the government would review the issue of tariffs affecting the industry.

“We discussed issues of tariffs this afternoon. If anything affecting you was overlooked, I will go back and ensure the necessary corrections are made,” the president said.

Tinubu commended media owners, editors, and journalists for their commitment to informing and educating Nigerians, while also providing employment opportunities for thousands of citizens.

He also urged the press to extend its oversight role beyond the Federal Government, pointing out that recent economic reforms had increased revenue allocations to state and local governments.

Defending some of his administration’s major policy decisions, Tinubu said the removal of fuel subsidies and the liberalisation of the foreign exchange market were necessary measures to stabilise Nigeria’s economy.

“Leadership requires making difficult decisions at the right time. When I took office, I inherited both the assets and liabilities of the previous administration, and we had to act to rescue the economy,” he said, adding that the country had begun to recover from its earlier economic challenges.

Also speaking at the meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, assured media stakeholders that the government remained committed to addressing the challenges facing the industry.

Meanwhile, elder statesman and Grand Patron of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Olusegun Osoba, praised the Tinubu administration for its economic reforms.

Osoba noted that initiatives such as the proposed Nigeria Revenue Service and the National Single Window Policy could help strengthen the country’s revenue base and improve economic management.