Nigeria has agreed to host the maiden meeting of the African bloc of the National Committees of the International Press Institute (IPI).
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this known during a meeting over the weekend in Vienna, Austria, with IPI Executive Board Chairman, Mr. Marton Gergely; Executive Director, Mr. Scott Griffen; and Nigerian and African representative on the IPI Executive Board, Mr. Raheem Adedoyin.
The IPI Board had earlier approved the creation of regional blocs of national committees to address region-specific interests within the global IPI community.
‘Nigeria agrees to host the maiden meeting of the African bloc. It is a great honour for us to lead as we always do,’ the minister said.
He recalled that Nigeria successfully hosted the IPI World Congress and General Assembly in Abuja in 2018, affirming the country’s readiness to deliver another world-class event.
Although no date has been fixed, Griffen said the IPI Secretariat in Vienna would work out the details with Adedoyin and the IPI Nigeria National Committee.
Gergely commended Nigeria for its leadership in democratic governance and commitment to press freedom, while Griffen lauded the Nigerian National Committee for its strong engagement in promoting media freedom.
During the meeting, Idris also discussed IPI Nigeria’s ongoing request for IPI’s support for the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos. The NIJ was established by the IPI in 1971 during the presidency of the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande, and its governing board is currently chaired by former Ogun State governor and IPI leader, Aremo Olusegun Osoba.