GbaramatuVoice: Celebrating 7 years of robust journalism in the Niger Delta
It has become a ritual of the sort that on August 8 of every year, the publisher, management and staff of Gbaramatu Publishing Company Limited, owners of GbaramatuVoice Newspaper roll out drums, and harps to celebrate the Newspaper’s anniversary-as its maiden edition was published on the said date. That was in the year 2015.
Therefore, with joy in our hearts and as a family, the news organization marks its seventh anniversary of unbroken and uninterrupted presence at the newsstand, internet and social media platforms supplying to the satisfaction of our teaming readers, undiluted and factually backed information from the Niger Delta region to the wider world.
As in always, the celebration first, more than anything else avail us the wonderful opportunity to appreciate, and say a very big thanks to our numerous stakeholders which includes but not limited to; teaming readers and followers on all our dedicated platforms, traditional rulers from the Niger Delta, captain of industries within and outside the country, executives of International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the country, public office holders from the Niger Delta region, leaders of specialized groups in Nigeria, among others.
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Secondly, the celebration offers us golden opportunity to look back into our past, so that we can productively look forward into the future. In performing this “annual ritual”, we have been able to spot our mistakes in the past years, make amends, draw useful conclusions and make a quantum leap into the future. This annual stock taking has made us in the past seven years become a strong corporate media brand in Nigeria and a leader in Niger Delta when it comes to robust journalism in the region.
We have become to the admiration of all a reference media point and Resource Centre where fresh graduates from the region interested in media practice are trained on different media skills for self reliance.
As we celebrate our seventh anniversary of robust practice of journalism, the Newspaper is in the estimation of stakeholders likened to the Biblical grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches. (Mathew 13; 31-32, Mark 4; 30-32, Luke 13; 18-19).
To buttress this fact, the Newspaper was established in 2015, in one small apartment located in a sleepy but egalitarian part of Effurun, Warri, Delta state, and against all odds hit the newsstands in August of the same year. But today, has become to the admiration of all, a leading source of authoritative information about the Niger Delta region and vehicle for promoting good governance, rewarding excellence while promoting sustainable democracy in Nigeria.
Two factors have so far worked for us as a media conglomerate. First, the publisher/management of the Newspaper happened on highly professionally trained journalists who understand, and are dedicated to the Niger Delta course while collaborating national and international media organizations across globe. This strategy has helped GbaramatuVoice become a gateway to Niger Delta-related news that is factually supported.
The second is our understanding that ‘sound strategy is more basic to a young company than resolving hiring issues, designing control systems, setting reporting relationships, or defining the founder’s role’. That ventures based on a good strategy can survive confusion and poor leadership, but sophisticated control systems and organizational structures cannot compensate for an unsound strategy.
This understanding assisted GbaramatuVoice to focus on issues, not personalities. It has also resulted in its capacity to carve a niche for itself in record time and earnestly given the newspaper a quantum leap.
As an illustration, within this period under review, the newspaper has against permutation diversified to online news publishing, and ventured into full-time electronic broadcasting with the establishment of the GbaramatuVoice Television that can be sourced online. These successes have earned the newspaper, the Niger Delta Newspaper of the Year 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 awards.
As we celebrate, we are glad to announce to you, our esteemed stakeholders that aside from our unrelenting effort to build a state of the art media institute and resource centre for Niger Delta studies, we shall, come December 2022, achieve yet another first in the region, in the area of broadcasting with the establishment and take of our radio station that will wholly be dedicated to prompt delivery of undiluted news items and commentaries in all languages that could be found in the region.
And to the public office holders/government agencies and commissions, we pledge to continue in robust partnership with you through daily communication of your ideas, ideals and policies to the people of the Niger Delta region and the world as a whole on the condition that such policies will not in any way hinder the masses from enjoying dividends of democracy.
Finally and very importantly, as part of programme lined up for the 7th Anniversary celebration, the newspaper’s annul lecture and merit award shall hold on Tuesday August 30, 2022 at the Abuja Transcorp Hilton, Federal Capital Territory. You’re kindly and warmly invited.
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