(Ecofin Agency) - Nigeria's Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo (photo), has recently deplored the state of the local press.

The official believes that the lack of vision, the poor state of finances and selfish interests of Nigerian journalists cause the decline of the media industry in the country. This, he said, on the sidelines of the 50^th birthday of Kadaria Ahmed, a famous Nigerian journalist who worked at BBC.

Osinbajo then reminded journalists of the crucial role that the press plays in Nigeria’s destiny. “The democracy we enjoy today would not have been possible without the guerrilla efforts of some of our finest and most irrepressible journalists”, he said. 

The official’s various admonitions come in a context where the government had declared a few weeks ago war against fake news, some months ahead of presidential elections.

Servan Ahougnon