By Charles Okonji
The Managing Director, Eagle Newsmedia Limited, Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi, has called on the federal government to improve on the ease of doing business, noting that many broadcast companies are finding it extremely difficult to do business in the country.
He stated this at the Christian Youths in Politics (CYP) international peace conference tagged “A salute to peaceful coexistence in the country” said the broadcast industry has made a lot of contributions to national development, but faces a number of challenges such as exchange rate issues, bad economy, poor facilities and ownership structure.
He noted that the unfavorable exchange rate still remains a major challenge to the industry due to the fact that broadcast equipment are imported from overseas, pointing out that the harsh economy is the reason why many broadcast stations are struggling as they depend on advert placements to survive.
“On poor facilities, because of lack of finance, many broadcast stations do not have the right equipment to broadcast,” he said.
He pointed out that the ownership structure of broadcasting stations is a challenge hindering the output of broadcast stations and their ability to generate income.
“I want to state that there are still opportunities for the broadcast industry. The coming of online media has shown that broadcast stations can still explore more grounds. They need to be more innovative, to produce what the viewers want; that way, they are sure of making money.
They can also cut huge costs by using smaller but more efficient equipment,” he advised.
He, urged the government to improve the economy, improve the value of the naira and make it easy for broadcast stations to operate.
“We are over 250 ethnic groups with unique cultures and traditions. This alone is a huge opportunity for the broadcast industry to make an impact. The opportunity to make impact is available, it only requires innovation on the side of broadcast stations to make this count
Ajadi who also doubles as the gubernatorial candidate of the NNPP, Ogun State chapter, said a country with no less than 250 ethnic languages, cultures, traditions and ideologies, obviously needs a vibrant mass media industry to disseminate these diversities in language and culture.
“This is the task that the Nigerian Mass Media industry has been saddled with, but whether she is playing this role effectively, is a subject of debate,” he stated.
Also speaking, the National president, CYP, Ambassador, Kolawole Princess, said Nigeria is a multi-religious nation with Islam, Christianity and traditional religion as the three dominant religious beliefs, pointing out that according to a 2018 estimate in The World Fact book by the CIA, the population is estimated to be 53.5 percent Muslim, 45.9 percent Christian (10.6 percent Roman Catholic and 35.3 percent protestant and other Christian), and 0.6 percent as others.
She said as a religiously plural society, Nigeria always experiences religious fundamentalism and revivalism oriented violence.
“Yes, such has been a feature of the Nigerian state and religious landscape. However By educating ourselves and future generations about tolerance, empathy and the value of diversity, we can break the cycle of hatred and prejudice,” she said.
“As peace is a basic human right, it is very, very important that we embrace this concept in all the possible aspects. For example, peace in policymaking processes, peaceful diplomatic relations with other nations etc,” she urged.
“It is envisioned during this program we shall have better understanding on how to promote peace in our homes, in our community, in our various states as well as the entire country taping from the knowledge of every experienced Dignitaries available with us today,” she added.
On his part, UNESCO Laureate, (HRM) of Duke and Vice Chancellor of Crown International University, represented by Dr. Mojeed Babatunde, listed strategies to adopt peaceful co-existence in the country as promoting tolerance and acceptability across religions is crucial for maintaining harmonious peaceful co-existence and unity.
He called for the promotion of religious literacy through schools and community programs to dispel misconceptions and stereotypes, advising that this must be done with the desired goal of love for all and hatred for none.
He also pointed out the need to celebrate the diversity of religious beliefs and practices, emphasizing that differences can coexist peacefully.
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