Editors to Julius Berger: We ‘re ready to partner with you

L-R: BusinessDay’s Lolade Akinmurele; Patrick Atuanya, Money Central; ThisDay’s Shaka Momodu; Felix Odeleye of The Punch; Director, Administration, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, Alh. Dr. Abdulaziz Kaita, Dr. Femi Adekoya of The Guardian and PressTV’s Olushola Akinyele at the 2025 Media Dinner organised by Julius Berger Nigeria PLC held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos weekend.

 

.As Vice president says press freedom not negotiable under Tinubu administration

 

President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and Editor of Vanguard Newspaper, Eze Anaba, has described Julius Berger Nigeria Plc as one of the few organisations in the country that has consistently enjoyed positive media coverage, attributing the feat to the company’s professionalism and its deliberate, strategic engagement with the press.

Anaba made this remark in Lagos at the weekend during Julius Berger Nigeria Plc’s annual dinner with senior media executives, held at the Sky Restaurant, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to him, the company’s steady presence in the news for the right reasons has made it easy for journalists and editors to confidently tell the Julius Berger story.

“Your robust and strategic interactions with the press is a professional beauty to align with. We are always ready to partner with your company”, he said, noting that the construction giant remains a reference point for corporate transparency and responsible communication.

Representing the Managing Director, the company’s Director of Administration, Alhaji Dr Abdulaziz Isa Kaita, expressed Julius Berger’s appreciation to the media for their consistent support throughout the year.

He emphasised that the partnership between the company and the media has significantly contributed to shared progress for both Nigeria and the organisation.

“In all, you have demonstrated that we are upping our partnership for the progress of the larger Nigerian community and our company,” Kaita said, while recounting Julius Berger’s long-standing tradition of delivering quality infrastructure across the country.

He called for even deeper collaboration as the company continues to champion innovation, engineering excellence and capacity development.

In Abuja, the 2025 Julius Berger Nigeria Plc Annual Media Parley continued with the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ali M. Ali, who delivered a keynote titled Public Relations and the Media: The Missing Link, underscoring the need for a symbiotic relationship between PR practitioners and the press.

Ali stated the need for a more deliberate and sustained relationship between public relations practitioners and journalists; one built on trust, mutual respect, and value creation.

He noted that the rapidly evolving communications landscape requires strategic thinking, strong storytelling, and a deep understanding of audience behaviour.

He cautioned PR professionals against the common mistake of only engaging the media during crises, stressing that strong relationships built over time often determine how effectively an organisation manages challenging moments.

Using Julius Berger as an example, he noted that the company’s crisis-management experience shows that established trust encourages journalists to actively seek the company’s perspective during controversies.

Ali also highlighted the fundamental difference between journalism and public relations: while journalists pursue truth, PR practitioners manage perception and reputation.

He described perception as a powerful driver of public behaviour, often shaping opinion more strongly than reality itself.

According to him, the real missing link in PR practice is story framing. Well-crafted stories are more likely to be published than poorly written press statements, he said, insisting that compelling narratives remain the strongest bridge between PR and the media.

Ali praised Julius Berger’s PR lead, Emmanuel Isibor, describing him as a model practitioner who effectively blends newsroom experience with strategic communication expertise.

In his remarks, Dr. Kaita paid tribute to the media for their ongoing collaboration, adding that the relationship has played a significant role in sustaining public trust in the company.

He revisited Julius Berger Nigeria’s contributions to national development since its establishment in 1965, including iconic projects such as the Eko Bridge, the Third Mainland Bridge, and the Abuja–Kano Expressway.

He also highlighted the company’s partnership with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) on cold recycling technology, a groundbreaking innovation that earned international recognition from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The achievement, he said, reflects Julius Berger’s commitment not just to construction, but to research-driven engineering excellence.

Editors and senior journalists from ThisDay, BusinessDay, The Punch, Nairametrics, PressTV, Vanguard, and MoneyCentral as well as the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Daily Trust, The Guardian, Asset Tv and The Sun among others also attended the landmark events alongside the top media professionals who attended the events in Lagos and Abuja, further cementing the relationship between the construction industry leader and Nigeria’s media community.

 

.As Vice president says press freedom not negotiable under Tinubu administration

However, Vice-President Kashim Shettima  has assured that press freedom remains a non-negotiable pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Shettima gave the assurance on Tuesday at the 2025 Conference and Annual General Meeting of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the conference is; ” Addressing Media Repression and Safeguarding Democratic Accountability in Nigeria”.

The Vice-President described Nigerian journalists as the nation’s primary defence against authoritarian rule.

He, specifically, said that journalists have played a stabilising role during moments of national tension by correcting misinformation and holding power to account.

Shettima affirmed the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment to protecting media practitioners from harassment and intimidation.

“We owe you a space of practice devoid of harassment, intimidation, or fear. That much is non-negotiable.

“As a government, we must continue to create an environment where truth can thrive without obstruction and where the work you do is protected rather than policed,” he said.

Shettima commended Nigeria’s media community for its historical resilience in confronting authoritarian tendencies.

The Vice-President stated that a successful dictatorship is impossible in the country due to the press’s vigilance.

“It is impossible, utterly impossible, to have a successful dictator in Nigeria. Never in our history has any person or government succeeded in suppressing the media permanently,” he said.

The Vice-President particularly commended journalists for standing firm against foreign information manipulation and interference, noting their refusal to surrender to disinformation campaigns.

“You have stood firmly against disinformation and refused to surrender your pens to falsehoods or foreign puppeteers. This honourable stance sets you apart.

“I stand before you today not as a wary politician, but as a friend, one who acknowledges your indispensable role and assures you that this administration respects, and will continue to protect, your right to freedom of expression,” he stated.

Shettima, however,  challenged the media practitioners to maintain ethical standards, warning against those who fabricate stories and refuse retractions when confronted with evidence.

He called for a professional culture that elevates “verification above virality, and nationhood above nihilism”.

“You have stood firm in the coldest nights of national adversity, and you have outlived those who attempted to place their boots upon your freedom.

”You have been the life-size mirror of our nation, reflecting us not as we wish to be seen, but as we truly are,” he said.

Shettima warned that, a nation with a silenced press, becomes one where public officers lose their way, and citizens lose their voice.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, reaffirmed the commitment of the Tinubu administration to the enhancement of press freedom and independent journalism practice in Nigeria.

He noted that media-government relations is being reinvigorated and redefined under the present administration.

The minister described President Tinubu and  his vice, Shettima as “some of the most media-friendly leaders Nigeria has produced”.

Idris said the responsibility and commitment of the present leadership of the Nigerian media must be to uphold the presentation of facts.

He assured that the Tinubu administration will continue to operate on the fundamental principle of an independent press in acknowledgement of the fact that a free press is the amplifier of an engaged citizenry.

The minister said agencies of government, both security and regulatory, operate under strict protocols during civil demonstrations.

He noted that the federal government remained resolute in balancing national security with media freedom, particularly in addressing misinformation and related complexities.

He assured that the administration’s approach is not a retreat into control but to create mechanisms for dialogue and ethical reporting within Nigeria’s own cultural context for the media.

The IPI Nigeria President, Mr Misikilu Mojeed, said the conference served as a platform for critical reflection on the state of journalism in Nigeria.

He added that the event would enhance practice and safeguard the lives of journalists,  as participants are expected to adopt a call to action centred on media reform.

He called for collective action by journalists to address challenges confronting their interests, noting that “solidarity is the journalists’ greatest line of defence.”

Mojeed urged the Federal Government to call state governments, security agencies and other actors to order, curb incessant harassment of journalists, and strengthen the mechanism for their safety across Nigeria and beyond.

The Executive Director, IPI Global, Scott Griffen, commended IPI Nigeria for its commitment to press freedom and independent journalism in Nigeria and beyond.

He called for genuine collaboration among stakeholders in the country in promoting and enhancing independent journalism in Nigeria in the face of daunting challenges.