Lagos, Kwara, NNPC, Customs, others drum support for GOCOP 7th annual conference in Abuja
Lagos, Nigeria, Monday, October 2, 2023:
The Lagos and Kwara States governments as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) are drumming support for the 7th annual conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), scheduled for Thursday, October 5 at the Abuja Continental Hotel (Old Sheraton) by 10am.
Chairman of the 2023 Conference Planning Committee, Danlami Nmodu, mni revealed this in a press statement by the Publicity Secretary of GOCOP, Mr. Remmy Nweke, saying that a good number of blue chip and high net-worth companies as well as Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government are also supporting this year’s conference.
He also said that aside Lagos and Kwara States governments, NNPC and NCS, GOCOP’s annual conference has equally attracted support from the likes of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), SEPLAT, Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), Dangote Group, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Nmodu further revealed that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Sahara Energy, Sterling Bank, First City Merchant Bank (FCMB), Department of State Security (DSS), Ecobank, First Bank, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, Emadeb, Kogi State, T-Pumpy Concepts and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) are not left out.
Nmodu beckoned on those corporate entities still on the sidelines to leverage GOCOP for partnership, pledging they will not regret such collaboration.
Meanwhile, he said that several activities have been lined up for a successful GOCOP annual conference 2023 with the theme: “Nigeria: Roadmap for Socio-Economic Recovery and Sustainability.” Other prominent stakeholders in the polity, civil society organisations, security, judiciary, media, among others have also confirmed participation.
He reiterated that the 7th annual conference is slated for October 5, 2023 to be chaired by the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede. Prof. Uche Uwaleke has also been confirmed as the keynote speaker for this year’s conference.
He affirmed that seasoned panelists for this year would include the Secretary-General, Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), Prof. Yakubu A. Ochefu; Special Adviser to the President (Policy Coordination) Hajia Hadiza Bala-Usman and Chief Executive Officer, Cowry Assets Management Ltd, Mr. Johnson Chukwu.
Nmodu noted that a pre-conference day would hold on Wednesday, October 4, comprising the GOCOP business session, the luncheon and interactive segment with media managers of corporate entities and advertisers drawn from different parts of the country.
In addition, he said, the pre-conference day activities include the presentation of the Guild’s annual report and election of new National Executive Council (NEC) to run the affairs of the body for another two years.
Past Keynote Speakers at the Conferences of GOCOP include: Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto who delivered the 2019 lecture on “Economy, Security and National Development: The Way Forward” and Mr. Boss Mustapha, then Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) who delivered the keynote address in his capacity as Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 in 2021. He spoke on: “Post Covid-19 Pandemic: Recovery and Reconstruction in Nigeria.” In 2022, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) delivered the address titled: “2023 Elections: Managing the Process for Credible Outcome.”
GOCOP was established to ensure that online publishers uphold the tenets of journalism and the membership is a constellation of editors and senior journalists, who, having distinguished themselves in their various stations in the print and electronic media, ventured into online publishing which is both the present and future of journalism globally. Currently, the Guild has over 90 corporate publishers as members.
