NVAA appeals to media houses to regulate social media platforms

Newspapers Vendors Association Abuja (NVAA), has appealed to media houses to regulate social media platforms, to enable them to get newsprint before social media gets hold of it.

The Chairman of NVAA, Idris Nababa made the appeal during the annual vendors’ week held during the weekend, in their headquarters in the Area 1 area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Nababa said, “I want to congratulate everyone for witnessing this year’s vendor’s Week. I know that the year 2022 had not been too good for the newspaper business, because of the bad economy, but we kept pushing on and today we are celebrating together.

“We know that we face a lot of challenges from social media and other platforms that make customers get news before the newsprint gets to us. But am glad we have our dear media houses here present, I want to appeal to them to please look at our plea and regulate those platforms to enable us to get the newsprint before the social media,” He stated.

On when and why the vendor’s week came into being, the Nababa said, “I want to remind us that this day came 2 years ago after the sudden death of our member whose life was taken by one trigger-happy officer attached to the convoy of the present Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

“That incident gave vendors a very big shock for a long time. For that reason, we the vendors/House of Representatives fixed 19th November every year as ‘Vendor’s Week’.

“We are here today, this event is fixed to celebrate vendors who stand under the sun and rain to sell newspapers each year. The business of newspaper vending is a noble business that we are proud of. We may not be classified as rice people, but with our day-to-day running, we earn our salary from it which helps us to take care of our families,” He stated.

The high points of the event were the observation of a minute of silence to remember the fallen vendor, and the presentation of the award to the 86-year-old octogenarian writer and friend to vendors, Hon. Sidi Ali, as well as commissioning of the I.C.T centre completed by NVAA EXCO by the President, Abuja Newspaper Distributors Association, comrade Benjamin Obute.

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