Chairman of the THISDAY ARISE Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, has joined Chairman, Vanguard newspapers, Sam Amuka and Chairman, Governing Council of Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, Aremo Olusegun Osoba as patron of the Newspapers Proprietor Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
This was revealed at NPAN’s Annual General Meeting held, Tuesday, December 8.
Obaigbena is the founding Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of the THISDAY Media Group and the ARISE News Channel. He founded THISDAY in 1995, growing it to become one of the biggest media brands on the African continent.
In 2000, Obaigbena founded the annual THISDAY Awards, a prestigious award which honours those who have made contributions to Nigerian society in the political arena, global business, entertainment and other sectors.
At the beginning of the outgoing decade, Obaigbena launched an international TV news channel with an African focus, Arise News Channels. ARISE has bases in London, New York City, Johannesburg, and Lagos.
ARISE News is one of the most authoritative TV channels out of the African continent, renowned for speedy news delivery, in-depth analysis and setting agenda.
Obaigbena’s impact and imprint extends beyond media to entertainment and fashion, where he has played a leading role in promoting and projecting African talent to a global audience.
He founded ARISE Magazine, a publication launched at the THISDAY Music & Fashion Festival at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2008.
He also powered the ARISE Fashion Week, starting in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, and later finding a home in Lagos Nigeria, after shows with the African Fashion Collectives at the Royal Albert Hall, London; Kennedy Centre, Washington DC; Lincoln Centre, New York.
The ARISE Fashion Week also featured a few years at The New York and Paris Fashion Weeks and is currently ongoing in Lagos. It is being held virtually and will be streamed live to a global audience between December 9-12.
Obaigbena is noted for starting the THISDAY Music and Fashion Festivals in 2006. The recurrent event has featured the biggest names in music and fashion, including names such as Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna, John Legend, Lionel Richie, Dianna Ross, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Busta Rhyme, Black Eyed Peas, Missy Elliott, Usher, Naomi Campbell, Alec Wek, Liya Kedebe, Oluchi, and many more.
A regular attendee and sessions moderator for the World Economic Forum among many other global forums, Obaigbena has served as a member of the Nominating Committee of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum.
At its Annual General Meeting, the newspaper owners also deliberated on the state of the media, Nigeria and the economy, and resolved as follows:
“That as the media is evolving because of digital intrusion, the Association may need to – at the Executive Council – take another look at the situation and respond as appropriately.
NPAN Also resolved to reflect vigorously on the absence of paper culture on the newspaper industry in particular and the Nigerian economy in general.
It urged the Federal Government to make a conscious effort to revive the newsprint factories in Nigeria towards improving the health of the newspaper business and paper industry.
NPAN also urged the government to take the newspaper business as an educational venture and grant zero tariff on paper to promote education and the constitutional and civic duty of the media at holding the government accountable to the people.
The association lamented what it described as “steady encroachment” on freedom of the press and free speech, “especially by state actors” and urged resistance through all legitimate means to any infringement on press freedom and free speech.