In a crucial move to re-strategise and ensure landslide victory for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election, authorities of frontline newspaper, APC News Online, have made two key appointments.
The widely-read e-newspaper has appointed Mr. Felix Durumbah as Editor while Malam Abdullah Dan’azumi Mohammed Golkos was named as Head of Political and Research Desk.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the newspaper’s authorities through the Managing Director, Dr Tom Ohikere yesterday.
Mr Durumbah becomes the first Editor of the newspaper.
Dr. Ohikere urged Nigerians to brace up for robust, timely, accurate and more professional online reportage by APC News Online on the activities of Africa’s largest political party, APC, aimed at further enhancing the anticipated victory of its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in next year’s election.
The MD also recalled that APC News Online was recently unveiled by APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, at the Abuja International Conference Centre, adding that plans are afoot to publicly launch its young online TV station on November 1 this year, geared towards educating Nigerians to vote right by voting APC.
The statement described Mr. Durumbah as a hard core news man and one of the finest and most level-headed journalists in Nigeria. It said that the new helmsman brings to the table over 25 years experience pounding various beats as well as holding critical gate-keeping positions in some of the most reputable print media houses in the country.
A 1986 graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Mr. Durumbah was Group News Editor, The Comet, later The Nation newspapers, from 2005-2007; promoted Deputy Editor, The Nation (Saturday), 2008. Prior to these, he was Group News Editor, Daily Champion, 2003-2005; then Deputy Editor (News), Daily Champion.
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A dogged journalist who rose through the ranks, Mr. Durumbah effectively struck out in journalism in 1990, serving for three years as Katsina State correspondent of Daily Champion and later became Delta State correspondent of same newspaper, 1993-1996. He was thereafter transferred to Lagos headquarters of the Champion Newspapers Limited stable and variously served as General Duty reporter in Sunday Champion, Labour reporter in Daily Champion, Deputy News Editor, and was appointed Group News Editor in 1993.
He also had a stint in defunct The Diet newspaper as FCT correspondent during the Gen. Sani Abacha era. His last port of call was as Editor, Abuja Digest Weekly, the not-for-sale newspaper of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), from which he quit this year as Editor/Assistant Director of Information.
On his part, Golkos was born on 6 March, 1962 at Wuyo District, Bayo Local Government Area of Borno State. He had his Primary, Secondary and University education in the State.
The new Head of Political Desk obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from the University of Maiduguri and is in line for a Masters Degree in Economic History with emphasis on Non Governmental Organisations (NGO’S).
He did his NYSC in Ikorodu, Lagos State. After this, he worked with
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board ( JAMB) before moving to National Library of Nigeria.
A active politician, Golkos was Deputy State Secretary (Borno State) of National Democratic Party (NDP) in 2001 from where he joined the Democratic People’s Party in 2006 as State Secretary. By 2008, he rose to become the Deputy National Secretary and finally Acting National Secretary in 2010,serving variously under GenerealsJ.T. Useni (rtd) and later on Gen. Magashi (rtd) , who were both his Chairmen respectively.
Golkos also veered into journalism, becoming a contributor to the short-lived ‘The Enlightener’ magazine as a commentator on current affairs, and was the Administrative Secretary of Association of Nigerian Authors briefly in 2019.
He later joined the APC and is presently the Publicity Secretary of the Tinubu Door to Door Ambassadors 2023, one of the foremost support groups in the country.