Osinbajo, Osoba, Others Eulogise Ibru, Commend Guardian Speaking Truth To Power At Book Launch

The launch of ‘The making of the Nigerian Flagship..A story of the Guardian’ on Thursday April 8th, provided opportunity to the high calibre of dignitaries at the event to authenticate the sterling contributions of late Guardian publisher, Alex Ibru to print journalism in Nigeria.

Some of the dignitaries at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos venue of the book launch co-authored by Aaron Okodie and O’Seun Ogunseitan incuded Yemi Osinbajo,  Vice President and Segun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State.

Other dignitaries who also graced the event are Donald Duke former governor of Cross River State, Nduka Obaigbena, chairman of Thisday and Arise Television, Dr Patrick Cole, who was a pioneer director and now member of the Editorial Board and other notable Nigerians.

 Osinbajo in his speech at the epoch-making event recalled that all notable Nigerian figures first established themselves through the media.
Ibru, he said, was a man with foresight. “Which he truly exemplified in the formation of the Guardian. We need such partnership. The Guardian played important role for democracy. Alex Ibru narrowly survived an assassination attempt. For decades, the men and women of The Guardian have lived with conscience is an open wound only truth can heal it.
Right from its first edition the Guardian carved a niche for itself.”

Specifically, he recalled that while all other newspapers, for instance, reported the death of Zik, “We reach out for the Guardian. It said Zik dead? Alive? Jubilation? A friend investigated the story and said Zik was not dead. ”

The vice president said that The Guardian had congregation of professional who were eager to make a change. “Others later joined to form. Alex Ibru was a visionary investor who trust the thinkers.”

Commenting further he said,
“The Guardian harked back to the proud and illustrious tradition of the Nigerian press that practiced journalism with a social mission and a commitment to speaking truth to power. It played an important role in the struggles that birthed our democracy, suffering proscription and the firebombing of its business offices at Rutam House. Alex Ibru, himself, narrowly survived an assassination attempt in which he was severely injured.

“For decades, the men and women that work at The Guardian have drawn inspiration from the immortal words of Uthman Dan Fodio on its masthead: “Conscience is an open wound. Only truth can heal it.” It is the role of journalists to tell the truth even when it is inconvenient. This mission has a special resonance in this day and age.”

Calling on the Nigerian press to effectively tackle the spread of fake news, Prof. Osinbajo submitted that, “even as we strive to make governance more transparent and accountable in its workings, and to abandon the habits of secrecy and opacity that became deeply ingrained during the era of military rule, we have realised that abuse of state power is not the only threat to the liberal tradition. Right now, we also have to deal with issues such as the proliferation of fake news.

“It is said that journalism is the first rough draft of history. It is true that reportage shapes the perception and understanding of events. It shapes memories and can influence behaviour for good or for ill. There are arguably no bigger influencers than those who report and interpret the world to us. This is considerable power and it comes with responsibility.”

While commending the Guardian Newspapers for raising the standards of journalism in Nigeria, the Vice President noted that there must be collective effort by media organisations and practitioners to uphold and improve on the quality of professionalism.

He said, “The story of The Guardian Newspaper is significant, for the redefinition it meant for print media in Nigeria, and for its uniqueness in bringing public intellectuals and academics into journalism and breeding a generation of talented journalists.

“About four decades ago, The Guardian set new standards that forever transformed the practice of journalism. Today a more complex media and information landscape require a corps of professionals to set new standards and raise the quality of the fare on offer.

“The pioneers of The Guardian understood that journalism operates in a social context and cannot be value-neutral.  This same cognitive commitment is incumbent upon all media practitioners today. We are at a time in our national odyssey in which retailers of discord and merchants of strife are working assiduously against our collective potential as a people.”

 Osoba, who wrote the foreword to the book, and close a ally of the late Ibru stated:”Alex Ibru never interfered with the professionals in The Guardian. Today I am happy that his family is here, his friends are here. I want to thank the two writers who find it fit to put this together. The unfortunate thing in Nigeria is that we don’t write.Jakande died, in spite of my pressure on him for over thirty, forty years on him to write, he didn’t”.
On why the book was written, Maiden Ibru wife of the late founding publisher of The Guardian said:” The place of Alex Ibru as one of the foremost makers of the Nigerian print media has not been properly documented. Thank God at last, here we are. The book is an idea, whose time has come. I know it’s the lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. We did not commission the book, it is an independent project by these two great thinkers”.

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