EXCLUSIVE: Why President Tinubu reversed new appointments at NTA

Facts have emerged on why President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday reversed the leadership changes he approved late last month at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the state-owned national broadcaster.

On Tuesday, the president cancelled the appointment of Rotimi Pedro as the new director-general of the NTA and reinstated Salihu Dembos, who had earlier been removed from the position.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the appointments of Mr Pedro and three other senior executives created confusion within the organisation and among its supervising authorities.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who oversees the NTA, was reportedly unaware of the changes until he read about them in the media.

The announcement embarrassed the minister because Mr Dembos and some of his management colleagues at the NTA were, at the time, part of the federal government’s delegation to to a three-day citizens’ engagement tour of Enugu and Ebonyi States in the South-east, an event led by Mr Idris himself.

According to sources, a special assistant to the president with experience in the broadcast industry directly influenced the appointments, sidelining the information minister.

The aide allegedly told the president that the NTA leadership was incompetent, that the broadcaster was steadily losing its audience, and that it was failing in its duty to properly project government programmes and activities.

Following his return from the South-east tour, Mr Idris reportedly sought an audience with President Tinubu to raise his concerns about the manner in which the changes were effected.

“The minister also requested the permission of President Tinubu to investigate the situation at the NTA, especially the allegations upon which the leadership changes were made,” a top presidential insider told PREMIUM TIMES.

The insider added that the minister’s findings showed that the allegations were “spurious” and had been “fabricated by interest groups to facilitate the capture of the agency.”

After reviewing the minister’s report, President Tinubu immediately ordered the reversal of the appointments of Mr Pedro and the other new directors, directing that the previously sacked officials be reinstated.

Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, subsequently announced the decision.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the recall of Mr Salihu Abdullahi Dembos, the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), who briefly vacated the post following some management changes in the agency,” Mr Onanuga said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Dembos was appointed DG of the TV network by President Tinubu in October 2023. He will now return to complete his three-year tenure.

“The President similarly directed the recall of Mr Ayo Adewuyi, the Executive Director of News, to complete his three-year tenure, which ends in 2027. Adewuyi was appointed by President Tinubu in 2024.

“The new directive effectively reversed the previously announced appointments of a director-general, executive director of news, executive director of marketing, and managing director of NTA Enterprises.”

Repeated efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to get comments from Mr Idris were unsuccessful, as he neither picked nor returned several calls placed to his mobile phone on Tuesday and Wednesday. He also did not respond to a text message.

Mr Onanuga also did not respond to calls.

READ ALSO: Tinubu reverses decisions on NTA leadership

What to know about NTA

The Nigerian Television Authority is the country’s public broadcaster and one of Africa’s largest television networks, with stations spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Established in 1977, the NTA was created to serve as a national voice and to promote unity through broadcasting.

For decades, it was the dominant source of news and entertainment for Nigerians, but in recent years, following the deregulation of the country’s broadcasting sector, it has struggled with dwindling viewership, loss of relevance in the digital age, and criticism for functioning largely as a government mouthpiece.

Despite these challenges, it remains an influential institution, being the official channel for broadcasting presidential and state events, and continues to be funded and supervised by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.