SEO Riders:
– Media sustainability: call for tax relief on newsprint and digital tools
- – Establish independent fund to boost investigative and community journalism
– Policy parallels drawn with South Africa, US, and Canada media support models
Mr. Femi Soneye, former Chief Corporate Communications Officer at NNPC Ltd, appealed to the Federal Government to bolster media sustainability by offering tax incentives and import duty waivers for essential media inputs—such as newsprint, broadcast equipment, and digital infrastructure. He made these remarks following an award presentation by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT, where he emphasized that, although Nigeria boasts one of Africa’s most vibrant media landscapes, it faces significant financial, political, legal, and technological constraints undermining its effectiveness.
Soneye also called for the creation of an independent media development fund*,designed to support investigative journalism, community radio, and newsroom innovation—citing successful models from South Africa, the United States, and Canada.
These proposals echo broader sector efforts, such as the Nigerian Editors Trust Fund, which the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has been developing to address welfare and professional needs across the media industry.
