Information Minister endorses new GOCOP President, Nmodu

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has congratulated Mr. Danlami Nmodu, on his emergence as the President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers.

Nmodu defeated the Publisher and CEO of World Stage Newsonline, Mr. Segun Adeleye, who had rejected appeals for the presidency to be ceded to the northern part of the country in line with the Guild’s tradition of rotational leadership and regional balance.
BAR & BENCH reports that the Guild’s leadership had, since inception, been dominated by members from different zones in the South.

Despite its growth and increasing inclusivity over the years, no member from the North had ever served as President in the Guild’s ten-year history.

This year’s election, therefore, offered a unique opportunity to reaffirm the Guild’s commitment to fairness, inclusiveness, and regional representation.

A large majority of members supported the idea of rotation and rallied behind Danlami Nmodu, who secured 63 votes to defeat Segun Adeleye, who polled 17.

Congratulating Nmodu, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant (Media), Rabiu Ibrahim, the Information Minister said: “Mr Nmodu, publisher of Newsdiary Online, with whom I have had a personal and professional relationship for many years, is a thorough journalist who has proved his mettle in journalism, and is deserving of such commanding heights.”

The Minister also praised the immediate past President of the GOCOP, Mrs Maureen Chigbo, publisher of RealNews Online, identifying her efforts in “providing vibrant leadership to a galaxy of more than 100 online publishers and bequeathing a legacy of honour, dignity, credibility and remarkable growth of the Guild.”

Idris urged the newly elected GOCOP President and his executive committee to prioritize the unity of the Guild through a harmonious corporate relationship that will stand the test of time.

“As I congratulate Nmodu, it pleases me to urge him to run an inclusive leadership that guarantees the participation of all GOCOP members in sustaining the collective aspirations of the Guild,” said Idris.

He said, furthermore, that it was important for the Guild to remain vigilant in the face of what he described as the “atrocious effects of fake news, misinformation and disinformation threatening the credibility of the journalism profession.”

He therefore called on the new GOCOP leadership to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, as it champions media and information literacy across the country.

He added: “I am trusting Mr Nmodu, who has built a distinguished career in journalism moulded in integrity, accountability, courage, and resilience, also to bring the same to bear in collaborating with the government to uphold the values of media fidelity and literacy, especially in the fluid digital media space.”