President promises tariff relief and support to protect local media revenue.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pledged federal support for Nigerian media organisations in their push for fair revenue and protection from Big Tech dominance.
Speaking at the State House during an interfaith dinner with leaders of the Nigerian Press Organisation, Tinubu described the media as an “indispensable partner” in sustaining democracy, economic stability and social cohesion.
The president said his administration was already reviewing the tariff exemption list and may include newsprint, printing plates, chemicals and broadcast equipment, which currently attract 5–10% tariffs, to ease the financial pressure on media houses.
Leading the delegation was Maiden Alex-Ibru alongside top industry figures such as Sam Amuka, Nduka Obaigbena and John Momoh.
Earlier, Frank Aigbogun, speaking for the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, accused global tech companies of scraping local media content to train AI models and breaching digital paywalls, practices he said cost Nigerian media up to 70% of potential revenue.
The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, confirmed that the government had already begun engaging major tech firms like Google and Meta, warning that companies benefiting from Nigeria’s economy must also give back.
Tinubu assured the media industry of government backing in addressing anti-competitive practices and economic pressures threatening press sustainability.
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