CPPN Partners Media to Push Professionals in Governance, Says Nigeria Cannot Progress With Experts on Sidelines

The Concerned Progressive Professional Network has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the Osun State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, particularly the Online Media Chapel, in promoting good governance, professional journalism and responsible information dissemination in Nigeria.

The organisation made this known during a meeting with members of the Osun NUJ Online Media Chapel at its office in Osogbo, Osun State. The CPPN delegation was led by its National President, Dr. Victor Olusola O., who is also the Managing Director of Divine Opticals, and included the Welfare Director, Engr. Adebisi Oyenekan, alongside other members. The chapel’s delegation was led by its Chairman, Mr. Isa Isawade, and other executives.

Speaking at the meeting, the CPPN National President explained that the organisation was established to mobilise professionals from different fields to take active interest in governance and contribute their expertise towards addressing Nigeria’s developmental challenges.

He said Nigeria could not achieve meaningful progress if professionals continued to remain on the sidelines while people with limited capacity occupied positions of leadership. According to him, professionals should move beyond being satisfied with their personal achievements and become actively involved in shaping policies that affect society.

He said, “We can feed our families, build our houses and drive our cars. But what happens when people get into power and make policies that destroy everything we have built? When the right people are not at the helm of affairs, wrong policies will automatically become the order of the day.”

The CPPN President clarified that the organisation was neither a political party nor a pressure or agitation group, but a platform designed to encourage professionals, including doctors, lawyers, engineers, journalists, lecturers and other experts, to participate actively in governance. He explained that the organisation had developed a structure extending from the national level to states, senatorial districts and local governments, with the aim of encouraging professionals to engage government officials, ask questions, offer solutions and promote accountability.

He noted that the organisation initially operated under the name Concerned Political Professionals Network but had to adopt the name Concerned Progressive Professional Network during its registration process to avoid being mistaken for a political party.

On the organisation’s reach, he said CPPN had attracted professionals within Nigeria with formidable representation in 25 states currently and in the diaspora, adding that it had structures in several Nigerian states as well as chapters in countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

He expressed concern about the continued migration of Nigerian professionals abroad, popularly known as “Japa,” saying many Nigerians in the diaspora were willing to return home but remained uncertain about the kind of environment they would meet. He stressed that Nigeria needed to create a system that would encourage professionals to return and contribute their knowledge and expertise to national development.

The CPPN President also cited several initiatives he had explored in the past, including efforts to attract foreign investment and introduce innovative projects into Nigeria, as examples of the opportunities that could be lost when the right expertise and leadership were absent. He narrated an experience involving a medical technology he encountered in South Korea, which he said he attempted to introduce to Nigeria through contacts with government officials, saying the experience demonstrated the importance of having people who could identify useful opportunities, establish international connections and work with government to bring beneficial innovations into the country.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Osun NUJ Online Media Chapel, Mr. Isa Isawade, said the chapel was established to bring professionalism, credibility and accountability to the rapidly growing online media sector. He described the online media space as one of the fastest-growing sectors of journalism but expressed concern that it had, for a long time, operated without sufficient professional structure.

According to him, the ease of accessing smartphones and social media platforms has made it possible for virtually anybody to publish information without proper verification, giving rise to misinformation, fake news and one-sided reports. He said the situation had become more complicated with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, which could be used to create manipulated audio and video materials capable of making people appear to say or do things they never said or did.

Isawade explained that the NUJ Online Media Chapel was established to provide structure for online journalism practice, register online media correspondents and publishers, promote verification and provide a recognised channel through which government institutions, security agencies, organisations and individuals could engage legitimate online journalists.

He said the chapel would also provide a platform through which individuals or organisations who felt misrepresented could lodge complaints, while members found culpable could face appropriate disciplinary measures. He added that the chapel had begun visiting government institutions, ministries and security agencies to introduce the new structure and explain how they could engage with verified online media practitioners.

According to him, the chapel was also willing to support organisations such as CPPN in reaching the public through credible media platforms. He said, “If you want a particular number of media organisations to disseminate information about your programmes or policies, let us know. We know how to identify the appropriate platforms and members who can help you achieve that.”

He described CPPN’s vision as laudable and said the initiative deserved the support of patriotic Nigerians who desired good governance and national development.

Responding, the CPPN Welfare Director, Engr. Adebisi Oyenekan, expressed appreciation to members of the Osun NUJ Online Media Chapel for the visit, saying he was impressed by the chapel’s objectives and its commitment to responsible journalism. He said he had previously held reservations about media practitioners because of the perception that some could be influenced by money to publish information favourable to those who paid them. However, he said the presentation by the Online Media Chapel had changed his perception and convinced him that there were still journalists committed to truth and national development.

He said, “It is a thing of joy that we have this number of people who have come to share what they have at the back of their minds and, more importantly, demonstrate genuine concern for the country.”

He noted that Nigeria’s challenges required collective responsibility, saying citizens and leaders must work together to change the direction of the country. He also expressed concern about Nigerians who leave the country in search of better opportunities but sometimes become disconnected from their roots or exposed to negative influences in foreign environments. He said collaboration among professionals, media practitioners and other stakeholders could create the synergy needed to achieve meaningful national development.

Another member at the meeting said he initially approached CPPN with some suspicion but later became convinced by the sincerity and vision of its leadership. He said his decision to join the movement was based on the belief that although CPPN could not provide a complete solution to Nigeria’s challenges, it could make a meaningful contribution. According to him, “At the end of the day, you would look back and say, ‘I have also, one way or the other, contributed my own quota to the whole solution.'”

He expressed optimism that the collaboration between professionals and the media would create more opportunities for public engagement and help communicate the vision of CPPN to Nigerians, adding that the ultimate objective was to build a better Nigeria for present and future generations.