Former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Femi Soneye, has reiterated calls for government support and tax relief for the Nigerian media.
Soneye made the call on Tuesday while receiving the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Federal Capital Territory Council’s Excellence in Corporate Communications award.
Highlighting the challenges confronting the industry, he urged the government to provide relief in the form of tax incentives and waivers on import duties for newsprint, broadcast equipment, and digital infrastructure.
“The Nigerian media remains one of the most vibrant in Africa, but it also faces systemic challenges—financial, political, legal and technological—that weaken its effectiveness. The government can play a supportive role by granting tax incentives or relief on import duties for newsprint, broadcast equipment, and digital infrastructure,” he said.
Soneye also called on the Federal Government to establish an independent media development fund to support investigative journalism, community radio, and newsroom innovation.
His call aligns with repeated appeals by media stakeholders, including the Nigerian Guild of Editors, for President Bola Tinubu to intervene to save the industry amid the country’s economic hardship.
At the All Nigerian Editors Conference held recently in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, NGE President, Anaba Eze, had identified scarcity of resource materials as the biggest threat to media survival.
“Media organisations face mounting pressure to adapt to modern trends while staying financially viable and maintaining journalistic integrity. The biggest threat to media survival today is the availability of resource materials to produce our papers or broadcast on our TV stations,” Anaba said.
Similarly, at the third edition of the Lateef Jakande Annual Memorial Lecture, organised by the NGE, stakeholders urged the government to grant direct and indirect subsidies to support the media, noting that in some countries, allowances for journalists are either untaxed or significantly reduced.
Speaking on why Soneye was honoured, Chairperson of the NUJ FCT Council, Grace Ike, described him as a consummate communications professional who has consistently advocated for a stronger, sustainable and independent Nigerian media.
