Gov Uzodimma proposes national media research centre in honour of Dokpesi

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has proposed establishing a national media centre in honour of the late founder of DAAR Communications Plc, Raymond Dokpesi.

Mr Uzodimma proposed this on Sunday while delivering the third annual Diamond Lecture in Abuja in memory of Mr Dokpesi.

The lecture, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and DAAR Communications Plc, was themed Media, Democratic Consolidation and Development.

Mr Uzodimma said the proposed centre would serve as a hub for media research, focusing on how journalism could be harnessed to promote economic growth and development.

He said the initiative would help preserve the late Dokpesi’s legacy and promote development journalism. He also pledged to lead a campaign to establish it.

“This memorial lecture is a good starting point. But we must go far above that. The best tribute we can pay to his memory is to protect that freedom and ensure that the journalism practised within it remains worthy of public trust.

“But I think that as his friends and associates we should take the lead by building a national media centre in his honour. The centre will be a hub for research on the media and how it can be properly channelled for economic development, or, put simply, for development journalism. I shall be prepared to lead in the campaign for the establishment of this centre,” he said.

Mr Uzodimma said Nigeria’s democracy would benefit from a media that could hold public officials accountable without intimidation.

“Our democracy will be better served when the media can pursue the truth without intimidation, when government accepts the discipline of scrutiny, and when the institutions of accountability respond to what is established,” he said.

The governor maintained that the proposed centre would help sustain Mr Dokpesi’s legacy by strengthening the media’s contribution to democratic governance and national development.

Mr Dokpesi, who died in May 2023 at 71, was a media entrepreneur credited with pioneering private broadcasting in Nigeria. He founded DAAR Communications Plc, the media company behind RayPower FM and Africa Independent Television (AIT), after the country’s broadcasting industry was deregulated in 1992.

RayPower 100.5 FM began commercial broadcasting in Lagos on 1 September 1994, becoming Nigeria’s first private radio station and pioneering round-the-clock radio broadcasting. Two years later, on 6 December 1996, Mr Dokpesi launched AIT, which expanded the range of television programming available to Nigerians and became a platform for news, entertainment and public affairs.

Through the two outlets, Mr Dokpesi helped create opportunities for entertainers, music producers, and programme makers who had struggled to access established broadcasters. AIT, in particular, provided a platform for Nigerian television productions, while RayPower contributed to the growth of contemporary Nigerian music and entertainment.

Mr Dokpesi died in Abuja after reportedly falling while exercising on a treadmill as he recovered from an earlier illness. Reports at the time said he had suffered a stroke before his death. His death was announced by his family on 29 May 2023.

Beyond broadcasting, Mr Dokpesi was involved in politics and philanthropy. His contribution to the media industry, particularly the expansion of privately owned radio and television, remains a central part of his legacy. The proposed national media centre in his honour would extend that legacy by supporting research on how the media can strengthen accountability, democratic governance, and national development.

In his remarks, NIPR National President Ike Neliaku commended the late Mr Dokpesi for his integrity and commitment to press freedom.

Mr Neliaku said the annual Diamond Lecture was organised to celebrate Mr Dokpesi’s contributions to the growth of Nigeria’s media industry and preserve his legacy.

He also announced the forthcoming World Public Relations Forum, scheduled to take place in Abuja, saying it would bring together participants from 126 countries.

The NIPR president said the institute had concluded preparations for the event and was ready to host participants from across the world.