By Longtong Ibrahim
The 2017 Annual Round Table for Indigenous Language Newspapers organized by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture will be holding in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria.
The 2-day event is scheduled to hold between 15th and 16th May, 2017 at Arewa house by 11am, with the theme: “Nigerian Indigenous Language Newspapers and National Development”.
Press secretary of the Ministry of Information and Culture, Joseph Mutah, in a statement noted that the event would be hosted by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, while the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai will be the Special Guest of Honour.
According to him, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Senator Mathew Urhoghide will chair the opening ceremony and the Chairman/Publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda-Isaiah will deliver the keynote address.
“The lead paper presenter of the occasion is the CEO/Editor-in-Chief, Media Trust Limited, Manir Dan Ali and Professor Olu Obafemi of the University of Ilorin will serve as Moderator.
“The Annual Round Table is designed to build the capacity of publishers, editors and art correspondents of the indigenous language newspapers in order to keep them abreast of contemporary realities in the sector and also enhance their professional skills and competence for effective service delivery.
“The event underscores the relevance of indigenous language newspapers to national development and appreciates their role in the promotion of our cultural heritage. The event also emphasizes the importance of indigenous language newspapers as a potent tool for information dissemination and grass roots mobilization as well as advocate for a synergy between the government and indigenous language newspapers in nation building,” Mutah noted in the statement
