APPMEN INAUGURATES COUNCIL OF PATRONS TO STRENGTHEN PRIVATE MEDIA IN NIGERIA
Former Governor Liyel Imoke Emerges Chairman, Royal Fathers Appointed Patrons
Lagos, Nigeria….. The Association of Proprietors of Private Media Establishment of Nigeria (APPMEN) has inaugurated its Council of Patrons, National Advisory Council (NAC) and The Nigeria We Want Ambassadors as part of efforts to strengthen the private media sector and promote its recognition and sustainability in Nigeria.
The investiture, held on September 24, 2026, in Abuja, marked what the association described as a significant step in its transition from an association into a national institution focused on private media development, recognition and sustainability.
Former Cross River State Governor, Distinguished Senator Ambassador Liyel Imoke, CON, emerged Chairman of the Council of Patrons and National Patron.
Also appointed were His Royal Highness, Amb. Dr. Joel Sabo Aninge, PhD, MFR, Odyong Nyankpa II, as Grand Patron, and His Royal Highness, Amb. Alh. Baba Umar Faruq II, CFR, Emir of Katagum, as National Patron.
The association also constituted a National Advisory Council, chaired by development expert, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, PhD, Chief of Staff to the Deputy President of the Senate in the 9th Assembly and Founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD).
Speaking on the development, APPMEN National Coordinator and Convener of The Nigeria We Want Project, Chief Precious Enebuse, said the initiative was designed to provide private media proprietors with institutional support, national recognition and a sustainable structure.
“For long, private media proprietors in Nigeria have operated without institutional cover, national recognition or a sustainable structure,” Enebuse said.
He explained that the newly constituted council would focus on three key areas: building the impact of private media as a tool for national development, securing national recognition for APPMEN as a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian project, and ensuring the sustenance of the association beyond the present generation.
Enebuse expressed appreciation to Imoke and the two traditional rulers for accepting to serve as patrons of the association, describing their involvement as a source of guidance and institutional support.
He added that the Council of Patrons would serve as the moral and strategic compass of APPMEN, while the National Advisory Council would provide policy, research and strategic direction and facilitate engagements with government, development partners and global platforms.
APPMEN said its activities are focused on promoting professionalism, press freedom, digital economy advocacy and national development among private media owners and digital content creators.
The association is also pursuing these objectives through its flagship initiative, The Nigeria We Want Project.
Signed: Chief Precious Enebuse National Coordinator, APPMEN Convener, The Nigeria We Want Project
By Loveline Agbonifo
