Less than two weeks to the D-Day, more sponsors have emerged for the hosting of the 8th annual conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers GOCOP slated to hold between October 2nd and October 3rd in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

Leading the new pack of sponsors are the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited NNPC Ltd., Delta and Lagos State Governments, Nigeria LNG Limited NLNG, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service FIRS.

According to a statement jointly signed by the chairman of the 2024 Conference Planning Committee, Danlami Nmodu, and the GOCOP Publicity Secretary, Remmy Nweke, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board JAMB and T-Pumpy Concept Limited have also accepted to partner the Association towards a successful hosting of the annual event.

Recall that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board NCDMB, Emadeb Group and Dangote Group had earlier pledged their support for the event.

The statement listed other sponsors to include the TotalEnergies, Osun State, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority NCAA, Setraco Nigeria Limited, United Bank for Africa UBA and Nigerian Communications Commission NCC, Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau NSIB, Access Bank plc, Zenith Bank plc, First City Monument Bank FCMB, Fidelity Bank plc, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc STI, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission NIDCOM and National Film and Video Censors Board NFVCB to name but a few.

The theme of the conference is: “Nigeria: Tackling Insecurity, Power Deficit, and Transitioning to Digital Economy”. Former governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, will give the keynote speech.

The two-day event will also feature GOCOP members’ exclusive business and capacity building sessions; business luncheon with the GOCOP sponsors and heads of corporate communications of the organisations and media advisers in the country on Wednesday, October 2, while the main conference, which is open to the general public will on Thursday, October 3.

Confirmed speakers at the event include Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Spain, Yusuf Mamman, who is the conference chairman, Nigeria’s former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, (rtd), and the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida,

The conference will also feature a panel session involving a Professor of Political Science at the Federal University, Lokoja, Rotimi Ajayi, and an edutainment communicator and veteran broadcaster, Debrah M. Ogazuma,

Nmodu recalled with excitement that GOCOP conference 2023 was chaired by the JAMB Registrar and Chief Executive, Prof Ishaq Olarenwaju Oloyede, while the first Nigerian Professor of Capital Market, Prof Uchenna Joseph Uwaleke was the keynote speaker.

Preceding speakers at the GOCOP annual conferences consist of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, who in 2019 delivered a lecture on “Economy, Security and National Development: The Way Forward.”

In 2021, Boss Mustapha, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, keynoted the conference and spoke on: “Post Covid-19 Pandemic: Recovery and Reconstruction in Nigeria.”

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu delivered the keynote at the 2022 edition themed “2023 Elections: Managing the Process for Credible Outcome.”

GOCOP was established to ensure that online publishers uphold the tenets of journalism.