President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to declare open the 2025 All Nigeria Editors Conference, ANEC, on November 12 in Abuja. The event is organized by the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, the elite professional body of Managing Directors, Directors of News and Editors of Print, Online, News Agency and Broadcast Organisations.

This was announced in a statement on Friday signed by the NGE President, Eze Anaba, and the General Secretary, Onuoha Ukeh. The statement described the conference as a veritable platform to dissect issues that would sustain national cohesion and development in the country.

The statement reads, “We promise that despite the change of date, ANEC 2025 would be a credible platform to discuss and proffer solutions to issues pertaining to national development and cohesion. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, will declare the conference open, while dignitaries from government, academia, media, organised private sector and diplomatic corps are expected to attend”.

The Guild stated that the theme for the two-day conference remains: “Democratic Governance and National Cohesion: The Role of Editors,” with a sub-theme: “Electoral Integrity and Trust Deficit: What Nigerians Expect in 2027”. There will be a keynote address on the theme and sub-theme, alongside other engaging papers.

According to the NGE, other papers to be delivered include: “Election Disputes and Judicial Integrity: Navigating the Thin Line Between Law and Politics” by Prof Awa Kalu, SAN, Managing Partner, Awa Kalu & Partners. Another is “State of the Nation: Imperative of Economic and Political Reforms in Challenged Nation” by Prof Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, HOD, Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja.

Further presentations are “The Evolving Face of Journalism: Battling Misinformation, AI Disruption, and Credibility Gap” by Prof Abiodun Adeniyi, Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies, Baze University, and “Media, Terrorism, and National Security: Addressing the Complexities” by General Lucky Irabor (rtd), former Chief of Defence Staff.

The NGE also announced that there will be an Executive Session on the second day of the conference where editors will interrogate government officials, political and business leaders. The ANEC is an annual event where editors address and discuss national issues with social, economic and political consequences in Nigeria.

The Guild said this year’s conference will see no fewer than 500 members converging on Abuja and is designed to provide a platform for editors and media executives to explore ways to promote national development and cohesion through responsible and responsive journalism.