The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Tuesday, said that the remodelling of the Nigerian Observer Newspapers is the determination of his administration to build on the legacy of the founding fathers.
Obaseki, who disclosed this during the commissioning of the newspapers in Benin, said that the newspapers have been stable where current notable media owners began their trade and they were still very relevant in the country.
Obaseki said that his administration has been able to turn the fortune of the establishment around with the installations of state-of-the-art printing facilities, adding that his aim is to make it a formidable media hub in the country.
He said his administration has put everything in place to keep the establishment afloat.
He said, “The remodelling of the Nigerian Observer Newspapers is the determination of my administration to build on the legacy of the founding fathers.
“It is worthy to note that the newspapers have produced current notable media owners and practitioners who began their trade here who are still very relevant in the country.
“This administration has been able to turn the fortune of the establishment around and everything has been put in place to keep the establishment afloat.”
The State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, while speaking on the “Chronicle of the Nigerian Observer as of today”, said the newspaper was birthed on May 29, 1968, with copies of the newspaper appearing on newsstands across Nigeria.
He said going down memory lane, they can say the Nigerian Observer, one of the legacy projects of late Brigadier General, Dr. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, Military Governor of Midwest State and Bendel State, is a response to the genuine demands of a people who increasingly began to feel that they need some outlet for the articulation of their own ideals with emphasis to inform, educate and entertain.
Nehikhare said the Nigerian Observer was then a training ground for most successful journalists in the country who later moved to other national newspapers and magazines, and today, media owners.
He said that the dwindling fortunes of the establishment were due to poor funding, adding that these and other reasons drew the attention of Governor Godwin Obaseki to this essential service sector of the communication industry in Edo State.
The Commissioner stated that veterans and media gurus including former staff of the establishment have been inducted into The Nigerian Observer Hall of Fame.
He said they include former Director General of the Nigerian Television Authority, Tony Iredia; Founder of Channels Television, Tony Momoh; Founder of Thisday Newspapers and Arise Television and former staff of Nigerian Observer, Nduka Obaigbena; veteran broadcaster, Sunny Irabor; Founder of Business day Newspaper, Frank Aigbogun; Founder, Tell Magazine, Nosa Igiebor and pioneer General Manager of Midwest Newspapers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Observer, Abiodun Aloba.