 Nobel laureate Professor Waleisha Inka has said Nigerian needs reconstruction, reconfiguration and decentralization to maximize its development. Though in non-playwrights, they let these other lecturers to mark the 50th anniversary of the punch newspaper in Lagos. The professor who watched the main speaker at the event said most leaders in Nigeria were only comfortable with the word reconstruction before they got to the office and they soon forgot about it after they assumed power. Our correspondent, Paul George, now reports. Gathered in this hall for this public lecture are giants in different strata to celebrate the golden jubilee of punch newspaper's pedigree, prestige and promise. Nobel laureate Waleisha Inka is here to give a lecture. He says most conferences on decentralization only brought people together for a charade and warned that it was time that people stopped taking the nation for granted. Drawing from different narratives in Nigeria, the Nobel laureate asked rhetorically whether the Nigerian civil war has really ended and what's wrong with the plebiscite. It's a civil war really over and civil wars will continue as long as civil society, governance especially, gives cause to place people under such strain that they begin to question whether they can claim national belonging. What's wrong with the plebiscite? What's wrong with determining the will of a people at any given time? Prefer the expressions like reconfiguration, decentralization. In his remarks, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris Malagi commands punch newspaper for its contribution for being among the few newsprint that has helped the country to reshape its narrative. Punch has been here for 50 years. And what that tells you is that it is a story of resilience, trust, hard work and commitment in Nigeria for it. Speaking, Chairman Punch and daughter of the founder of the newsprint Angela Emoa says our family was able to sustain the organization through proper accountability and discipline as they look forward to a new height. In the next few 50 years, you can expect that we will be more innovative. We will come up with new strategies to make sure that we're ahead of our game. Dignitaries including former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Ameichi praised the Punch newspaper for their doggedness and fortrightness in championing democracy. They spoke alongside Dane Taiwo Ajayilise. Punch was on the lead, like other papers, other journalists who fought for democracy. I think just as everybody is celebrating their success, their success will include the fact that the Nigerian democracy that everybody is enjoying for now, even though there are challenges, extreme challenges, were part of the achievements of Nigerian journalists and Nigerian newspapers like Punch that led it. The first generation, if I call them of the media, was the private press in the country. The private press died. Punch reinvented the private press. When it came back, there was the predominance of government press. Now, as we speak today, it is the private press that is driving and government newspapers are dead. So we are here to celebrate the longevity of life, not only of the Punch, but also the survival of the private press in the country. The Nigerian media is not aware that it's the fourth estate of the realm. The media here has not entirely recognized that it's as powerful as the president. When they mention media, the president should be pissing in his pants because he should be very careful about what he does because he knows that the media will dissect his every action. As the occasion winds down, the guests and Nigerians present hope for improved and unadulterated news reportage from Nigerian journalists. Paul George, Plus TV News. Don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.