Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Sunday, congratulated Mrs. Funke Egbemode, on her official confirmation as the President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), during the guild’s 12th annual conference in Port Harcourt last week.
Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, noted that Egbemode, who is the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, New Telegraph Newspaper, is a square peg in a square hole having risen through the ranks to get to her present position.
The Senate President stated that though the requirements of the new responsibility are Herculean, he had no doubts about the ability of the new president to take the NGE to the next.
He said: “Mrs Egbemode is not just a technocrat and media executive of repute, she is a professional per excellence. She is a living exemple of the saying that ‘what men can do, women can do better’ even though practitioners n the media are generally referred to as ‘gentlemen.’
“I believe that her confirmation as the new President will not only mark a positive turning point for the NGE, it would also serve as an inspiration for more Nigerian women to get to the heights of the journalism profession,” he said.
He urged Mrs Egbemode to bring to bear, in her new duties, her track record of excellence by leading the needed change in the journalism profession in the country with the aim of making it more responsive and development-centred.
“Your confirmation as the new President of the Guild could not have come at a better time than now. I am confident that you are well equipped to champion the necessary reforms that would place the NGE and the journalism profession in the country at par with their counterparts in the western world,” he added.
He further reiterated his call on the NGE to join hands with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and other relevant stakeholders to rid the noble pen profession of quacks and impostors whose activities daily undermine the credibility of the true professionals.
