 The chairman of the occasion are a more you check more shopper former governor of the state His Excellency Donald Duke former governor of cross river state The chairperson publisher and chief executive officer of the guardian group Lady maiden Alexi Professor Wally or Molly chair of the editorial board of the Guardian Mr. Nduka of by winner publisher this day newspapers The oboe of the boom in a kitty. It's all highness of our workforce. Oh, Larry. What you are jai? Members of the Hebrew family present management and staff of the guardian newspapers honored guests ladies and gentlemen It really is a delight to be part of this unveiling of a chapter of our history Story that has not been told in full until now the story of the guardian newspapers and The story is significant because the guardian newspapers Has redefined for print have redefined print media in Nigeria and also for its uniqueness in bringing Public intellectuals and academics into journalism. I'm breeding a generation of talented journalists But to grasp the significance of a guardian, it's important to situate its odyssey within the larger Nigerian story and particularly in the context of the evolution of The fourth estate in our country The Nigeria press has deep roots going back almost 150 years Indeed the Nigeria press came into existence before Nigeria itself. I was instrumental to the birthing of this nation So it's no surprise that several luminaries of the anti-colonial and nationalist movement were also leading figures in the press Namdia Zikwe, Ernesto Corley, Antonia Nahoro, Herbert Macaulay all Venerable figures in a pantheon of nationalist icons first established themselves as journalists of repute It was then Emerging as the most vibrant and dynamic press in Africa So given its origins as the fulcrum of the nationalist trouble It's not surprising that the relational dynamic between the Nigerian press and the Nigerian state Was always largely hostile and adversarial Especially in the years after we gained independence from the British This dynamic was accentuated by the succession of military dictatorships That cease power following the collapse of the first republic in 1966 Since military rule is characterized chiefly by the abbreviation of civil liberties The shrinking of civil spaces and the imposition of constraints on the freedom of expression It was only logical For the press to find itself on the opposite side of a confrontation with the military regimes of that era The peak of the tensions between the press and the military in the 1970s was a nationalization of the daily times So it was in this illiberal and sensorial climate that the Guardian was born So right from its first edition on February 27th, 1983 The Guardian carved a niche for itself with a distinctive and sophisticated editorial style linguistic elegance Good prose and high quality print standards Its mode of engagement was even tempered Demonstrated in the deliberate moderation and thoughtfulness and its headlines and captions most of us will remember the new stories of the alleged death then of the great Zika in 1989 Many newspapers run spinning headlines Zika's dead the great O'wellia of Onisha passes on Nigeria's first president dies Some even reported the formation of a national burial committee We all reached for the Guardian whose headlines in typical Guardianese was simply quote Zeke dead alive Jubilation and the Suka and the book today pride a young journalist then Who is now I believe Dr. Pride had taken the trouble of investigating the story With a visit to chief at dinner or grocery a long-time friend and confidant of Zeke Who he said he had who said that he had just spoken to Zeke and that Zeke was well alive As he turned out the great Zeke was not only alive and well, but lived another seven years thereafter Unfortunately, the gentleman who was touted as the burial committee chairman in some news reports passed on Even well ahead of the great Zeke The Guardian set itself apart as an outpost of liberalism Populated by intrepid journalists and keen-minded intellectuals devoted to freedom of thought and inquiry Its op-ed pages very quickly became the arena of choice for defining for the defining public debates of the day The media landscape of the 1980s was not bereft of idealist and ideologues and intellectuals With visions of remaking society What was unique about the Guardian was that it represented a rare but potent combination Of an abundance of ideas and a wealth of resources It was a happy marriage of socially conscious intellectual and missionary capital In other words, there was a cast of insightful thinkers with a profound understanding of the Nigerian media landscape Who were eager to make a change But the change could not have happened without an entrepreneur Who shared that vision and a co-visioner chief Olusi Aguasopa While Dr. Stanley Makiwa, Dr. Patrick Delaco, Mr. Lade Bonola, Mr. Femi Kusa, Dr. Eddie Roe Later joined by Dr. Yemio Hubee and Mr. Nick Ndue Formed that core team of thinkers behind the Guardian Mr. Alex Ibru was that visionary investor who was courageous enough to trust the thinkers To find a businessman that could trust a group of intellectuals With editorial freedom in the treacherous socio-political climate of the time as Alex Ibru did was clearly exceptional His calm deportment belied his understanding of the terrain His foresight and his propensity for risk taking He truly typified the idea of the capital is driven by conscience His courage of conviction exemplified in the actualization of the Guardian will remain indelible I've brought a bit on the nature of this partnership between people of means And the and people of ideas that gave us the Guardian because I believe there is a sort of transformative synergy that we need to see more often Especially in order to drive our quest for a better society We need such partnerships across the broad spectrum of civil society and the private sector The Guardian harked back to the proud and illustrious tradition Of the Nigerian press that practiced journalism with a social mission and a commitment to speaking truth to power It played an important role in the struggles that birthed that democracy Suffering prescription and the firebombing of his business offices at Brutum house Alex Ibru himself Narrowly survived an assassination attempt in which he was severely injured Years later, I confronted the horror of that attack on him myself when as attorney general here in Lagos It was my lot to prosecute his assailants It was a reflection of the terrible costs that journalists bore as they continued to heroically ply their craft as an act of resistance against tyranny of any sort For decades the men and women that work at the Guardian have drawn inspiration On the immortal words of Uthman Dhamfordio on its masthead Conscience is an open world only the truth can heal it It is the role of journalists to tell the truth even when it is inconvenient This mission has a special resonance in this day and age Even as we strive to make governance more transparent and accountable in its workings And to abandon the habits of secrecy and opacity That became deeply ingrained during the era of military rule We're realized though that the abuse of state power Is not the only threat to the liberal tradition Right now we also have to deal with issues such as the proliferation of fake news almost daily Fake news or mischievously manipulated news is trafficked with a clear intent Of warping the perception of reality and inducing conflict It is said that journalism is the first rough draft of history It is true that reportage shapes the perception and understanding of events It shapes the memories and can even influence behavior for good or for ill There are arguably no bigger influencers than those who report and interpret the world to us This is considerable power and it comes with responsibility About four decades ago the Guardian set new standards That forever transformed the practice of journalism Today a more complex media and information landscape Requires a core of professionals to set new standards and to raise the quality of the fair that is on offer The pioneers of the Guardian understood that journalism operates in a social context and cannot value neutral The same cognitive commitment is incumbent upon all media practitioners today We are at a time in our national odyssey In which retailers of discord and merchant and merchants of strife Are working assiduously against our collective potential as a people Creating a commonality of purpose in an ethnically and culturally diverse society Is challenging the world over However, nation building is not the sole preserve of politicians and governments In fact, it is just as much a task for civil society of which the press is an important member It is true that freedom of expression is enshrined in our constitution But we all agree that society progress and order depend upon the responsible exercise of freedom Otherwise the end result will be anarchy So as we struggle to build our nation with the bricks of neutrality Angerality and tolerance I would suggest that those of us that stand as the gatekeepers in the fourth estate must demonstrate A greater awareness of the sensibilities and sensitivities of our society I think in some what the guardian has embodied in these past years Is a fidelity to the principle of balance of objectivity and fair hearing Not only as a corporate culture, but also as a moral obligation to the larger society That insistence by the gatekeeper that leads Are well investigated and reports are well researched before the copy is passed on for publication The restraint to leave out a claim when in doubt In summary What in my humble view pre-qualifies the newspaper to become a true marketplace of ideas Or what the great american Playwright of O'Meila had in mind when he said and I quote a good newspaper is a nation talking to itself end of quote I think time and time again The guardian has shown that it is possible to be critical without being destructive To be constructive and not be compromised Perhaps what I like most about the book Is that it's a mosaic of memories by different generations of the guardian Is also a reminder of just how many Journalists pass through the paper during the course of their careers The guardian is no longer just a newspaper house, but a public institution One that is served as an exemplar and a model for generations of media practitioners Who replicates its ethos and standards in different ways So by documenting the rise of the guardian eron ukodie and ocean Have additionally reminded us particularly of how the present can be shaped by the past But perhaps more importantly What that what has been done merely reveals what more can be done We all must commend the authors And the guardian newspapers and especially the chief custodian of the legacy Lady maiden alexieble For broadening our understanding of history For the app for the appreciation of the present and the inspiration of the future I wish you very many more successes in the years ahead