The Nigerian Guild of Editors, on Wednesday, held the opening ceremony of its two-day 21st Annual Conference at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Although a report by SaharaReporters described it as “a disgraceful outing” THE CONCLAVE reports that it was a significant outing for the Guild, whose President, Mr Eze Anaba, had the opportunity of tabling a number of proposals to strengthen the operations of the media in Nigetia to President Bola Tinubu who declared the conference open.
The President, in his speech, said he had kept the requests/proposals in his pocket and was awaiting a formal correspondence covering all the proposals to be sent to his office so that formal action could be taken on the requests.
It was the first time in twenty-one years that the Guild’s conference would hold in the FCT and be declared open by a sitting president in the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa.
Contrary to earlier concerns by some individuals that the Guild of Editors might have been compromised by agreeing to hold the opening ceremony at the Banquet Hall, THE CONCLAVE can authoritatively confirm that the request to hold the event at the Banquet Hall was at the behest of the Presidency.
After the Guild of Editors had, through the constant pressure by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, secured President Tinubu’s acceptance to declare the ceremony open and had gone ahead to pay for two days at the NAF Event Centre at Kado in Abuja, security issues were raised.
It was learnt that the President could only attend events held at either the International Conference Centre, ICC, or Transcorp Hilton Hotel, in line with his dynamic security protocols, and that if none of these places is available, the only other place would be the Banquet Hall, especially for an event involving over 350 Editors (registered for the conference).
A source confirmed that N16.5m might have been paid by the Nigerian Guild of Editors for the usage/rental of the Banquet Hall.
SaharaReporters had independently gathered that the editors and media executives coughed up the large sum because the Banquet Hall in Aso Rock had been commercialised. Whereas, THE CONCLAVE could not immediately confirm the bit about the commercialisation of the Banquet Hall.
The following day, that was Thursday, November 13, 2025, the meeting continued at the NAF Conference Centre in Kado, Abuja, where the Editors had already paid for two days for usage of one of the halls.
Efforts are reportedly on to get a refund of the payment made for the first day at NAF which event was relocated to the Banquet Hall after effort to secure International Conference Centre and Transcorp Hilton failed.
SaharaReporters quoted a source to have said: “This is also because the presidency wouldn’t allow Tinubu to go out of the Villa and hold events. This has been the case since the coup plot by some military personnel was reported.
President Tinubu had declared the conference open and addressed the editors at the event, which was also attended by other top government officials and media executives.
The event on the second day, November 13, 2025, was held at NAF Conference Centre.
The SaharaReporters’ report claimed: “The Guild of Editors of Nigeria had a disgraceful outing at the Presidential Villa where the group met with President because the presidency wouldn’t allow Tinubu to go out and hold events since the coup plot was exposed in a SaharaReporters’ report.
“The event cost the Guild of Editors N16.5million as the Banquet Hall has been commercialised.”
But THE CONCLAVE insists that the outing at the Banquet Hall was superb and distinguished as conversations were robust and freely conducted.
President Tinubu had on Wednesday tasked media professionals to carry out their responsibility as the Fourth Estate of the Realm towards nation-building and the sustenance of democracy.
President Tinubu also declared that his administration would consider the requests from the Guild for media tax relief and other interventions that would ensure the sustainability and vibrancy of the media.
He commended the Nigerian Guild of Editors for the commitment of its members to sustaining democracy and national development, urging them to shape public discourse in a constructive manner that strengthens the bonds that hold the nation together.
“This conversation is necessary as we continue to build institutions that are transparent, resilient and trusted by our citizens. Throughout our history, journalism in Nigeria has been more than a profession. It has been an instrument of national awakening. From early newspapers that challenged colonial injustice to the principled voices that kept hope alive during the dark days of the military dictatorship,” Tinubu stated.
[Culled, abridged and adapted report from SaharaReporters]
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