World Congress: Adedoyin, This Day boss, Egbemode, others make IPI Nigeria C’ttee

The International Press Institute, IPI, has set up a secretariat and constituted a steering committee to organise the 2018 World Congress of the institute in Abuja. 
The setting up of the committee was one of the resolutions reached at the meeting hosted by Daily Trust in Abuja on Saturday. 
The committee is headed by the President of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria, NPAN, Nduka Obaigbena who will be assisted by two deputies – Chairman of Daily Trust and Chairman of IPI Nigeria, Kabiru Yusuf and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu.
Other members of the committee are Secretary of IPI Nigeria and Head of the Secretariat, Raheem Adedoyin, President of Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) Mrs Funke Egbemode and a representative of the Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
The resolutions also indicated that IPI Nigeria would open up the event to the participation of all media organisations in the country.
 In his acceptance speech, Chairman of the Planning Committee, Obaigbena, described the IPI World Congress in Abuja in June next year as “the most important media event in our country in the last 50 years.” 
He called for the support of all Nigerians in hosting the event, which he described as a Public Private Partnership.
“We must do everything to make our country great. We must not underestimate or underrate the greatness of our country.” 
The Publisher of Vanguard newspaper, Sam Amuka-Pemu, said that the hosting of IPI World Congress “is an awesome task which calls for the support of all Nigerians; it means a lot to the government and people of Nigeria.” 
 The Chairman of IPI Nigeria, Mallam Yusuf, warned about the skepticism and image dissonance concerning Nigeria which, if not handled very well, might torpedo the country’s hosting of the event. He, therefore, charged the newly established secretariat to be ready to respond to international enquiries, particularly with regards to the issues of safety. 
Other members of the Planning Committee at the meeting include a veteran of the IPI, Ismaila Isa, Wada Maida, Nnamdi Njemanze of the Nigeria Press Council, Emma Agu and Timothy Oyedeji representing the Minister of Information.