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There is confusion at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) over a reported change of the federal agency’s management team.
Several news outlets have reported an overhaul of the leadership of the state broadcaster, stating that President Bola Tinubu had appointed Rotimi Pedro, a sports entertainment executive from Lagos State, as the new NTA director-general.
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According to a report, the president also appointed Katsina State’s Karimah Bello as Executive Director of Marketing, Stella Din from Plateau State as Executive Director of News, and Sophia Issa Mohammed from Adamawa State as Managing Director of NTA Enterprises Limited.
The Presidency reportedly described the changes as part of its wider agenda to reposition the NTA in a rapidly evolving and competitive media market.
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President Tinubu had renewed the appointment of Salihu Dembos as the NTA director-general in October 2023. Mr Dembos was initially appointed to the position by former President Muhammadu Buhari on 21 September 2023, after previously serving as the Executive Director of Marketing for four years.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported how the Presidency, on 27 September last year, appointed seven directors for the NTA, some of whom are now affected in the reported latest appointments.
However, the appointments have not been confirmed by the federal government or officially communicated to the NTA management, leaving workers in confusion at the agency.
Adding to the drama, Mr Dembos and some of his NTA management colleagues are part of the federal government’s delegation on a three-day citizens’ engagement tour of Enugu and Ebonyi States in the South East, which kicked off on Wednesday.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, is leading the delegation, which includes presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, and the heads of other parastatals in the information ministry.
According to findings by this newspaper, neither the minister nor Mr Onanuga, who usually announces appointments by President Tinubu, has confirmed a leadership change at the NTA or informed its officials on the tour of any such development.
The situation has led to speculations that the reported change was being pushed by some influential aides to President Tinubu in an alleged attempt to take over the NTA through Mr Pedro.
One of said aides is said to have promoted a satellite television service in Nigeria in 2007. The company collapsed after a few years, with its banker appointing a receiver manager over its assets.
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Mr Pedro operated in the sports and entertainment broadcast industry with those aides.
A trained entertainment and intellectual property lawyer, Mr Pedro founded Optima Sports Management International (OSMI), a sports content provider, in 1995. The company distributed premium events such as the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, and CAF competitions to audiences in more than 40 countries.
Messrs Idris and Onanuga did not pick up repeated calls to their telephones or respond to text messages requesting clarifications on the reported appointments.
