Segun Osoba: Nigeria’s media organisations should self-regulate for survival

Olusegun Osoba, veteran journalist and former governor of Ogun state, has implored media organisations to self-regulate for longevity and relevance. 

Osoba spoke on Monday during the second edition of the Nigerian Media Leaders’ Summit organised by The Journalism Clinic (TJC) in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The summit had about 60 senior executives from across the Nigerian media space in attendance.

The politician also urged media houses to be proactive by expanding their operations to the online space to fight growing disinformation.

He said the surge in the spread of fake news is a threat to the media profession, noting that regulation should be done by the media organisations and not by the government.

“I want to appeal to all of you that unless we create credible sources of information online… I am opposed to the idea of wanting to regulate even the so called fake news online practitioners,” Osoba said.

“Once you legislate to regulate, where do we draw the line between the online and the rest?

“Newspapers should go online and be proactive and give credible news. That is the only way we can make a difference between the fake news and the credible ones.

“For our survival, we should get together, exchange views and continuously try to see what we can do. We must do self-regulation.

“There must be regulation. Even in heaven, there is law and order. The first thing in heaven is law and order. So we must do self-regulation rather than allow the government do it for us.

“We should get together; do more exchange of views; let us do self-regulation and let us all go online and create a credible platform in order to discredit those who are trying to destroy our profession.”

Kabir Yusuf, president of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN), said there is a need for media organisations to adapt to changing audience preferences, embrace new technologies, and explore diverse revenue streams beyond traditional advertising.

Other speakers at the event include Juan Senior, president of innovation media consulting group; Dolapo Otegbayi, until recently the route-to-marketing director of FrieslandCampina and now principal consultant; Esosa Osagiede, creative director at Insight Publicis; Dolapo Otegbayi, chief executive officer of Dataphyte; Rasheed Adebiyi, a senior lecturer at Fountain University.

Others are Damilola Ajiboye, senior product manager at Stears; Ore Afolayan, founder of TOA Marketing; Atunyota “AliBaba” Akpobome, founder of XQZMOI; and Waheed Olagunju, former managing director of Bank of Industry (BOI).

Otegbayi provided a framework for developing successful media products, while emphasising the importance of understanding target audiences, market trends, and continuous innovation.

Adebiyi explored the concept of news as a product, highlighting its importance as a source of information, intelligence, and development communication.

He advocated for a product-oriented approach to news creation and distribution.

Ajiboye discussed the need to build media products that cater to the changing preferences of users, prioritising accessibility, personalisation, and user experience.

Ali Baba harped on the importance of creating content that resonates with younger generations, incorporating humor, entertainment, and interactive elements.

He also emphasised the need for media organisations to adapt their strategies to cater to diverse audience preferences.