Members of the Newspaper Vendors Association, Abuja chapter, have commended the management of Blueprint Newspapers for “being consistent in the publication of the newspaper, despite obvious challenges facing the print media.”
They made the commendation Thursday in Abuja during the inauguration of the newly elected executive members of the association.
They were the chairman, Etim Iwara; vice-chairman, Idris Adamu; secretary, Desmond Obiagwu; financial secretary, Abdulwaheed Ishola; assistant secretary, Bassey Ofem, and welfare officer, Ugu Blessing.
Addressing newsmen during the inauguration, the chairman, Comrade Iwara, said that Blueprint had been holding its own in the print media and promised that “the association will continue to partner with the newspaper, especially in the area of advertisement.”
He said: “We have to consolidate and sustain the relationship we have had with media houses. Blueprint is our most friendly partner in the media and we are grateful to the management of the newspaper. We will continue to partner with the newspaper, especially as it has been consistent since its establishment. I pray the paper will continue to hit the newsstands so that our relationship can continue to soar.
“Blueprint has shown that it is not only here to make up the numbers, but has been holding its own among other newspapers. We expect the management of the newspaper to continue its good work, especially in partnering with vendors. In the area of challenges, we will continue to iron out our differences whenever they call upon us.
“In the course of my experience as chairman of newspaper vendors and former secretary of the union, I have come to understand that sale of newspapers is a big challenge, but the hard copies can never fade out. In years to come, newspapers will still be here. We will continue to attract adverts to newspapers, for that is where they make the bulk of their money.”
Also speaking, a member of the association, Mr Simon Yusuf, who is the sales circulation manager of Blueprint, said media houses had a symbiotic relationship with vendors and hoped that the partnership “will continue to grow.”
“We have been in partnership for so long and we will continue to support vendors because we cannot do without them. The members have a lot of benefits; they even invited Trustfund to their inauguration. Nevertheless, one of the challenges we are encountering is with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB). We can’t place our billboard here, for the benefit of our vendor, as they want us to pay money before placing our billboard. The agency should understand that we are important in the dissemination of information as the media, which will even help their own objectives. Therefore, they should give us space to mount our billboard for free,” he said.
