By Osa Mbonu-Amadi
The Editor of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Eze Anaba, has been elected President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, NGE.
Mr. Anaba was declared winner of the NGE election on Friday at the ongoing 2023 Biennial Convention of the Guild holding in Owerri, Imo State. He polled 250 votes to beat his opponent, Bolaji Adebiyi, a former staff of ThisDay Newspapers who polled 81 votes.
Mr. Anaba takes the NGE leadership baton from Mustspha Isa of the Silverbird Group.
Before his election, Mr. Anaba, a Master’s degree holder in Communication from Leicester University, UK, was the Social and Publicity Secretary of the guild of editors.
At Vanguard Newspapers, before he attained the topmost position, Mr. Anaba served as the Deputy Editor, Saturday Editor, Senior Deputy News Editor, and the Law and Human Rights Editor.
According to several media reports, “Anaba brings to the NGE leadership a robust media management experience and huge contacts in the public and private sectors. He is widely travelled and is also on the boards of some leading human rights groups in the country.”
In his speech, the newly elected President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, extended a hand of fellowship to fellow contestants and vowed to advance authority of guild and press freedom:
“I would like to thank you all for this enormous privilege and honour. I am so humbled that you have put your trust in me to lead our Guild at this challenging time. I want to congratulate other members of the exco who have also just been elected.
“Let me pay tribute to my fellow candidate, for a hard-fought campaign. We clearly disagreed on a number of things he may have said during the campaign. Nonetheless, I wish him well and the very best of luck in the future.
“I also want to thank our outgoing president for his leadership and shaping the direction for our Guild. I appreciate your achievements and promise to build on them.
“I am in no doubt as to what my election means. In the course of the campaign we have just had, I set out a 5-point agenda that I believe our Guild needs to build on past successes and accomplishments. I promise to deliver on my 5-point agenda.
“So, my election is a mandate to advance the integrity and authority of our Guild and influence debate on press and broadcasting freedom, ethics and the culture and business of news media.
“I believe there is an even greater obligation on us, on me, to ensure the empowerment of editors and other journalists through supporting and encouraging training of editors and other journalists from across the country.
“I will also prioritise and focus on leading the campaign for necessary reforms of outdated media laws that tend to undermine media freedom and the operations of media houses in Nigeria, and for improved conditions, and enhancing the relationship between our Guild and public agencies and regional and international stakeholders, partners and donors.
“We need to protect the interest and operations of broadcast and print media houses, and promote and encourage the involvement and participation of our members in the decision making process and Guild’s activities.
“On top of that, we need to strengthen the capacity of our Guild to provide legal support to members who may face any legal threat, harassment and intimidation.
“From talking to you, from meeting you, from hearing your concerns over the past few months, I am clear as to the direction that I believe we wish to go, and I will do everything to work with all of you to achieve our Guild’s vision and mission and to ensure the support we all need to flourish in our profession at a profoundly important socio-political and economic realities and developments in our country today.”
