I am highly delighted to welcome you our esteemed guests, resource persons and participants to this One Day Workshop. I give all the glory to the Almighty God for making this day a reality.

Today, history is being made as begin a voyage that will revolutionise media practice in Nigeria and beyond.

Agenda setting by Media is traditional and constitutional role that the Media must pay urgent attention to if it must remain in the scheme of things. Therefore, the Media must cleanse itself; ensure ethics of the profession: truth, objectivity and fairness are not compromised in the practice of the profession.

In Nigeria, recent developments have made media practitioners a laughing stock due to the public opinion that paints us as tools in the hands of the highest bidder and to add more impetus to the discredit of our noble profession, many media practitioners are seen to not know anything about the Laws of Libel and Slander, as anything goes, in the practice of the profession.

Today, we all watch helplessly as comments have become facts, especially, in the electronic media. We now witness talk shows being anchored unprofessionally. In some cases, programme anchors suddenly assume the roles of prosecutors and judges at the same time.

This should not be so. Media regulatory bodies should ensure that standard qualifications and professional competences form the yardstick for recruitment in organisations in our country because this all-comers game is belittling our noble profession.

The realization of a positive change in this current narrative will involve the implementation of the following measures;

• Media setting agenda
• Media self-cleansing
• Media objectivity and fairness
• Enshrining of professional ethics for Media practitioners

Personally, I have argued at different fora that Media Practitioners are not entirely to blame for the rot we see in our society. As a people, we have sacrificed our long cherished values of merit, honesty and hard work on the altar of mediocrity and tribalism.
These values need to be restored immediately because of the roles they play in impacting posterity. In my family, I have entrenched the 3 Hs+God Principle: Humility, Honesty, Hard work +God. Every member of my family carry this as family values wherever they find themselves.

The challenges before our dear nation today are:

• How do we hold our leaders accountable?
• How do we improve citizen participation in governance?
• How do we erase primordial sentiments that play up tribe and religion?
• How do we restore our lost cherished values of merit, honesty and hard work?

De Gratia Centre for Media Rights and Education is set to bridge the gap and help the Media answer these mind boggling questions. As I said during the unveiling of our organisation last week, our vision is to be a global brand in offering qualitative training in media practice; to serve as a fountain for ethical research and training. It is expected that the grooming of thorough bred professionals will change the face of media practice across the country and beyond.

Our Mission also, is to raise an army of media professionals who will set the bar of objectivity and fairness in media practice. We shall use our professional competence to promote high ethical standards in media practice in Nigeria and beyond.

Today’s workshop with the theme: “Post 2023 Media Agenda Roadmap: Conceptualization and Opinionization” is a bold attempt to begin this media setting agenda revolution? With the array of professionals, we have as resource persons, I believe that at the end of this workshop we shall be solidly contributing to National discourse.

De Gratia is set to be in the Vanguard for National rebirth. Please join us to make it a reality!

Finally, let me thank our Special Guest of Honour, Guest Speaker, Resource Persons, Board of Trustees and the Planning Committee for making this day a reality. May God reward your Labour of love in Jesus name. Amen

Thank you for listening and God bless you all.