Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has proposed the establishment of a national media centre in honor of late broadcaster Raymond Dokpesi, arguing that stronger journalism and democratic institutions are essential to Nigeria’s development.
Speaking at the third Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi Annual Diamond Lecture in Abuja, Uzodimma said the proposed centre could support research and training in development journalism and the relationship between the media and economic progress.
The governor praised Dokpesi’s role in expanding private broadcasting through RayPower and African Independent Television, describing the emergence of independent stations as an important change in Nigeria’s media landscape before the country’s return to civilian rule in 1999.
He warned, however, that private ownership alone does not guarantee editorial freedom. Journalists, he said, also face pressure from political interests, advertisers, media proprietors, poor working conditions and the pursuit of digital traffic.
Uzodimma urged governments to stop treating critical reporting as hostility and cautioned that threats of detention, licence withdrawal or other reprisals can encourage self-censorship. He also called on news organisations to strengthen verification standards as artificial intelligence and online misinformation complicate the information environment.
He said journalists should be committed to truth, fairness and the public interest rather than the fortunes of individual political parties or candidates. Effective accountability, he added, requires public institutions to act when credible wrongdoing is exposed.
DAAR Communications chairman Raymond Dokpesi Jnr. urged young Nigerians to participate actively in democratic life and announced plans for a media incubation and civic-technology initiative scheduled for December 1, 2026.
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations president Ike Neliaku also discussed plans for major international public-relations gatherings, presenting them as opportunities to showcase Nigeria’s communication industry.
The lecture commemorates Dokpesi, who died in 2023, and seeks to sustain debate about media freedom, responsible journalism and democratic development.
