Edo State State Governor Godwin Obaseki has said the rebirth and relaunch of the state’s newspaper, Nigerian Observer, is a testament to his government’s vision to make Edo State a formidable media hub.
Obaseki, who spoke at the commissioning of the Nigerian Observer New Office Building and Edo Printing Centre, said the state’s newspaper has now been rebranded and upgraded to meet global standards.
During the event, veteran journalists, including Tony Iredia, John Momoh, Nduka Obaigbena, Sunny Irabor, Nosa Igiebor, Frank Aigbogun and Ebenezer Abiodun Aloba, a founding staff of the Nigerian Observer, were recognised and inducted into the Nigerian Observer Hall of Fame in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the development of the nation’s media industry.
Other guests at the event included the Edo State deputy governor, Marvellous Godwins Omobayo; former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion; Dr. Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the Edo 2024 governorship election; and Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, chairman of the PDP.
Obaseki said, “I welcome you to commission the rebranded and rebuilt Edo press centre. We have tried to upgrade the premises where the Nigerian Observer was born 60 years ago to become a media centre in Benin City.
“The vision of our founding fathers, including General Samuel Ogbemudia 55 years ago, brought about perhaps one of the most advanced printing and media houses in Nigeria to be set up in Edo State.
“When we came into this premises to work on this press centre, the quality of the printing machines we saw here was at the top at that time. This shows the vision of our leaders, as we are building on the back of people who ruled the State before we came in.”
Obaseki added, “The commissioning of this edifice is a testament to how far we have come as a people and also signals a signpost of our vision to make Edo State a formidable media hub.”
The governor continued: “The media business in Nigeria today is primarily dominated by Edo people, and it’s not a coincidence, as you can see from the award of the Observer Hall of Fame today.
“The Nigerian Observer is a nurturing ground. Alongside this new building, we have established the Edo press centre, which is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for all printing and publishing needs. We have done this to diversify the risk in the newspaper business and hope that the state-of-the-art facilities here will augment revenue here at the Observer.”
