Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, will deliver the Keynote address at the forthcoming World Congress of the International Press Institute in Abuja in June.
The Chairman of IPI Nigeria, Mallam Kabiru Yusuf, broke the news to the Nigerian Media Stakeholders on Tuesday at their meeting at the Nigerian Television Authority, Abuja.
Yusuf said Soyinka has conveyed to the IPI his acceptance to deliver the keynote address at the World Congress holding from June 21 to 23 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari will declare open the Congress, which Nigeria is hosting for the first time in the history of the IPI.
To ease visa procurement for participants, Yusuf said the local chapter of IPI has concluded arrangements with the relevant authorities to issue visa on arrival to the delegates.
The IPI is the global platform for a free press and over 300 senior journalists, top editors, media executives, publishers, broadcasters and communication experts are expected at the Abuja Congress.
Present at Tuesday’s meeting were the Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Sam Amuka; the Publisher of Peoples Daily, Mallam Wada Maida; the Secretary of IPI Nigeria, Raheem Adedoyin; member of the Newspapers Association of Nigeria, Comfort Obi; Director General of NTA, Mallam Yakubu Mohammed; Media Consultant, Sir Folu Olamiti; former Managing Director of the Champion Newspapers, Emma Agu; Executive Director of the Nigerian Press Council, Nnamdi Njemanze; and Communication Specialist, Adewale Kupoluyi.
Also in attendance were the Director of Press and Protocol, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Timothy Oyedeji; the Editor-in-Chief of Blueprint Newspapers, Hajia Zainab Okino; Editor, Northern Operations, The Nation Newspapers, Mallsm Yusuf Alli; the Head of Abuja Operations, Channels TV, Bashir Adigun; Director of News, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Mallam Sani Sulaiman; Secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abuja Chapter, Hajia Rafat Salami; and executive member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Catherine Agbo.