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By Chukwuma Umeorah
Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of CBI Digital Media, Chris Baywood Ibe, has said that media ownership should not compromise the credibility and independence of journalism. He stressed that the ownership structure in Nigeria media space, today, has greatly affected the delivery of news and information dissemination to the masses.
Ibe made the remark during the official launch of the CBI News App in Lagos, a digital platform designed to promote investigative and human-interest reporting across Nigeria and beyond. He said the idea behind the app was inspired by the need to address the growing trust deficit in the country’s media industry and to reintroduce credibility into news reporting. “Media ownership, funding and credibility is all interwoven. Most news outlets, today, are owned and controlled by politicians and the powers that be. So you just have to take yourself out from the entire system as a founder and avail journalists the freedom they need to function optimally,” he advised.
He explained that the platform will focus on human-centric journalism rather than sensational reporting, stressing that news should not always revolve around negativity. “We are very big on human-centric stories. You see international media platforms like BBC and others coming to do human-centric news in Nigeria. So why are we not doing this? People don’t want to spend money. Bad news is not all the news,” he stated.
He also highlighted journalists’ welfare as a key component of the company’s operational philosophy, noting that safety, job security, and fair compensation are essential to professional integrity. “Every journalist and every media operator that’s going to work with us will have premium insurance. With that, you’re assured that should anything happen to you, your family can rely on something,” he said.
He said the initiative aims to discourage compromise in newsrooms by creating an environment where reporters are adequately motivated. “When you pay people, they will fight for you and they will die for you. They will take a bullet for you. And when you do that, why do I have to go and collect brown envelopes?” he said.
On the issue of regulation, the CBI founder urged African governments to respect press freedom and uphold journalistic independence.
“The regulation is there, and we can abide by it. If you believe in your story and have evidence to show, the regulation will have nothing on you. We will stick to our policies, we will stick to our tenets of journalism, and drive journalism the way it should be, the way it needs to be in Africa,” he said.
He acknowledged the support of the Bank of Industry (BOI) in financing the company’s digital expansion, describing the partnership as a testament to the bank’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. “BOI is at the forefront of supporting SMEs and digital technology. It’s one group that has already supported the CBI. If they believe in your dream, they will drive your dream with you,” he said.
The Managing Director of CBI Digital Media, Gbenga Adebija, said the new platform was designed to operate differently from traditional outlets, with a focus on research and audience-driven content. “We don’t believe that the media space is saturated because our founder had a unique vision for a media platform. We are our own competition,” he said.
He added that they have developed a strategic plan to sustain its operations and relevance in Nigeria’s evolving digital media ecosystem. “We have mapped out very clearly what we are going to do in year one, year two, year five, year 10 and year 20. It’s not a question of wondering what to do next; we have a very strategic, executable plan of action,” he said.
