• Eze Anaba

All is set for the 21st All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) holding tomorrow in Abuja.

Expected at the two-day conference are President Bola Tinubu, who will declare it open at State House Conference Centre, Aso Villa, Abuja, governors, media leaders, members of the diplomatic corps,the academia and other dignitaries.

NGE President, Eze Anaba and General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh, said that no fewer than 500 editors from across the country will attend the conference.

The Guild said that Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Saad Abubakar and Prince Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of Arise New and This Day newspaper, will be Chairman of conference, while Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, will be keynote speaker.

The statement said that Governors Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), Caleb Muftwang (Plateau), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), and Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), among others, are also billed for the conference.

Media leaders, the likes of Chief Segun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; Mr. Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser to the President (Muhammadu Buhari) on Media and Publicity; Mallam Garba Shehu, Special Assistant to the President (Muhammadu Buhari) on Media and Publicity; Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the National Coordinator of EITI implementation in Nigeria; and Mr. Ukpe Anietie, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Senate President, among others, are billed to attend the conference.

Publishers/Chairmen, Board of Directors of newspapers, Managing Directors/ Editors-in-Chief from newspaper and broadcast organizations, Chairmen of media organisation’s Editorial Boards, and top editors are already in Abuja for the conference, the Guild said.

With a theme, “Democratic Governance and National Cohesion: The Role of Editors,” and sub-theme: “Electoral Integrity and Trust Deficit: What Nigerians Expect in 2027,” the conference will examine the role of editors in promoting democratic governance and national cohesion, discuss challenges and opportunities facing editors in promoting democratic values and national cohesion and identify best practices and strategies for editors to promote democratic governance and national cohesion, the Guild said.

The statement said that Prof Awa Kalu, eminent lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Managing Partner, Awa Kalu & Partners, will address the conference.

Awa Kalu will speak on “Election Disputes and Judicial Integrity: Navigating the Thin Line Between Law and Politics, while Prof Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, HOD, Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja, will take the stage thereafter to speak on: ” State of the Nation: Imperative of Economic and Political Reforms in Challenged Nation.”

On the second day of the conference on November 13, 2025 at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre, former Chief of Defence State, Gen Lucky Irabor, will speak on “Media, Terrorism, and National Security: Addressing the Complexities, ” while Prof Abiodun Adeniyi, Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies, Baze University, Prof Abiodun Adeniyi, will talk about “The Evolving Face of Journalism: Battling Misinformation, AI Disruption, and Credibility Gap.

“The NGE said that there will be an Executive Session on the second day of the conference, where editors will interrogate government officials, political and business leaders.

The media professional body listed corporate organisations who are partners to include: Air Peace Airlines, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, as well as the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, among others.