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Tag: Adesina

  • Ogunsola, Adesina lead launch of Voices Beyond the Newsroom

    Renowned actuary and former Chairman of Punch Newspapers, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, will chair the formal presentation of a study of media leadership produced by a media scholar at the Pan Atlantic University.

    The Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina, would also be on hand to support the chairperson.

    Nigerian Media Leaders: Voices Beyond the Newsroom features conversations with more than 75 media leaders across print, broadcast and the academia.  Media scholar, Richard Ikiebe of the School of the Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, edited the four-volume work.

    The research is a collaboration between the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University and the Nigerian Guild of Editors.

    Hosts for the event are the Vice Chancellor of the Pan Atlantic University, Prof Juan Elegido, the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Garbadeen Muhammed, and the Dean of the School of Media and Communication, Dr Ikechukwu Obiaya.

    As Chairman of Punch Nigeria Limited for several years, Ogunshola is a celebrated media leader for successfully spearheading the turnaround of the fortunes of the Punch newspapers into one of the most successful media enterprises in Africa.He was one of the leaders interviewed for the book.

    The September 22 presentation of Voices Beyond the Newsroom would be a gathering of leaders in the media, politics and public service, academia, advertising and the larger business and financial community.

    Leaders interviewed in the book cut across various arms of the media.

  • Ex-colleagues to honour Tunji Bello, Adesina, others

    Former colleagues at the Concord Newspapers will on Friday honour their members, who were recently appointed or elected into professional and government positions.

    To be honoured at the Airport Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos are: Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello and Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina. Both are former National Concord editors.

    Also to be honoured, according to a statement by Messrs Aliu Mohammed and Goke Odeyinka – the organisers – are Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) President, Waheed Odusile, Group Public Affairs Manager of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Ohi Alegbe, Managing Director of The Sun, Mr. Eric Osagie, a member of the House of Representatives, Mallam Sani Zorro (Jigawa) and Senior Special Assistant to Niger State Governor, Mr. Jide Orintunsin.

    Concord Press, one of the biggest newspapers in the 80s, was established in 1980 by the late business mogul, Bashorun Moshood Abiola, the man who presumably won the 1993 presidential election, which was annulled by the military.

    He was incarcerated for declaring himself president and died in detention in 1998.

     

  • Jonathan congratulates Adesina, Oteh on appointments

    Jonathan congratulates Adesina, Oteh on appointments

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Dr Akinwumi Adesina and Ms Arunma Oteh on their appointments at the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank.

    These appointments, Jonathan said, serve as a testimony to the fact that his administration had a good economic team.

    Akinwunmi, who was Jonathan’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has just assumed duty as the president of the AfDB while Oteh, who was the director-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission, was appointed as the treasurer and vice president of the World Bank.

    In separate letters of congratulations to Adesina and Oteh, which Jonathan personally signed, the former President described them as high achievers and Nigeria’s worthy ambassadors.

    On Adesina’s choice as AfDB chief, Jonathan said: “Given your exemplary record of performance, while serving as the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in my cabinet, I have no doubt that you will deploy your energy and the bank’s resources to ensure that Africa experiences a new era of accelerated development.

    The former President, in a letter to Oteh, praised the former SEC chief’s profound knowledge of capital markets, describing her as conversant with the challenges of the economies of emerging markets.

  • Adesina, Oteh: We had a good economic team, says Jonathan

    Adesina, Oteh: We had a good economic team, says Jonathan

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Dr Akinwumi Adesina and Ms Arunma Oteh, who were recently appointed into top positions in the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank respectively.

    These appointments Jonathan said serves as testimony to the fact that his administration had a good economic team that managed the affairs of the country.

    Akinwumi who was President Jonathan’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has just assumed duty as the President of the AfDB, while Oteh, who was the Director-General of Securities and Exchange Commission, was appointed as the Treasurer and Vice President of World Bank.

    In separate letters of congratulations to both Adesina and Oteh which Jonathan personally signed, the former President described them as high achievers and Nigeria’s worthy ambassadors.

    On Adesina’s choice as AfDB chief, Jonathan said: ““Given your exemplary record of performance, while serving as the Honourable Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in my cabinet, I have no doubt that you will deploy your energy and the bank’s resources to ensure that Africa experiences a new era of accelerated development.”

    “You were not only a critical voice in my economic team, you also walked the talk, and earned the praise of our countrymen and women, by ensuring that Nigeria’s quest for self-sufficiency in food production became achievable dream.

    “I am particularly pleased with your emergence as the AfDB boss; a development, I believe, has come as a reward for having served your country meritoriously”, the former President said, adding that “It also attests to the fact that my Administration had a good team that managed the affairs of the country.”

    Similarly, the former President in a letter to Oteh praised the former SEC boss’ profound knowledge of capital markets, describing her as being conversant with the challenges of the economies of emerging markets.

    “I am delighted that you are going to your new job, fresh from the experience of having led the recovery and growth initiatives of the Nigerian Bourse in the wake of the decline, occasioned by recent global economic recession and financial crisis.

    “I am particularly pleased that you are being rewarded and elevated on the world stage, after serving your country meritoriously, at a time I was the President. This is a clear testimony to your capacity, high integrity, and tenacity of purpose. It is also a vindication of the decision of my Administration to stand by you, believing in your
    abilities and competence, even when questions were being raised in some quarters over your choice.

    “I am convinced that the experience you gathered as Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria (SEC) gave you deep insights on how to tackle the peculiar challenges of a developing nation. The World Bank can draw from this to ensure that its future partnerships with emerging economies in Africa and other parts of the world are anchored on policies that will lead to sustained growth and development, which is a sine qua non for lifting millions of people in the developing world out of mass poverty, ” Jonathan stated.

  • Buhari is aware of federal character – Adesina

    Buhari is aware of federal character – Adesina

    As more Nigerians react to the recent appointments by the federal government on the basis of ethnicity, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Friday said the president is mindful of the existence of federal character and that appointment would go round soonest.

    Speaking during a radio programme he featured on RayPower 100.5 FM, Adesina was reacting to the criticisms that the appointments made so far by the president favoured only the northerners.

    The presidential adviser said the federal character would be displayed in more appointments in September adding that,” appointments made so far by the president cannot be faulted by anyone as they are done purely on merit.”

    He assured all stakeholders that the President would keep to his promise of appointing the remaining aides and ministers ‎in September.

  • Buhari won’t ask for stories to be ‘killed’, says Adesina

    Buhari won’t ask for stories to be ‘killed’, says Adesina

    The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has said his principal will not request any journalist to “kill” stories for him.

    Adesina said instead of doing that, the administration would rather encourage reporters to run stories that would critically examine the workings of government and provide it with the way forward.

    A statement yesterday by the President of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), Malachy Agbo, said Adesina spoke on Thursday at a dinner held for him and other presidential spokesmen by the online publishers.

    Also hosted by the GOCOP were the Senior Special Assistant on Media to President Buhari, Malam Garba Shehu, and the Senior Special Assistant in the Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande.

    Adesina said the first thing the President told him when he assumed office was: “Always tell me the truth.”

    He said Buhari was emphatic when he told him that as a general he loved to argue, but would always bow to superior argument.

    “The President told me: ‘Please do not fail to argue with me.’”

    Adesina is one of the trustees of GOCOP.

    Adesina said Buhari vowed to run an open and transparent government so much that he would have nothing to hide and would have no cause to want to ask for any story to be “killed”.

    He said the only thing he asked was that for any news item, the Presidency should be allowed the opportunity to state its side before being put in the public domain.

    Adesina commended the online publishers for coming together to form a group, even as he advised them to look out for spoilers, gate crashers and those who might hide under the canopy of online publishing to damage the reputation of innocent public officers.

    He said: “There is a saying that one bad coin can spoil hundreds of coins.

    “My advice is that you should not allow any of your members to use the platform to malign innocent people.

    “You should also find a way of sanitising the social media practitioners who just sit in their bedrooms to churn out news without professional touch.”

    Also speaking, Shehu thanked members of the Guild for the support they gave him when he handled the media and publicity department of All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council as director.

    According to him, the APCPPC was the poorest in terms of resources, “but the richest in terms of people’s goodwill.

    “And the online publishers were the greater part of that process.”

    Akande acknowledged the contribution of the online media and the social media in the actualisation of the Buhari Presidency.

    He advised Nigerians to adopt the government as their own because “this is the change we have been talking about”.

    Earlier, Agbo assured the presidential spokesmen of the support and cooperation of the members, even as he appealed to them to always make themselves available for any news item that requires clarification.

    He assured them that members of the Guild, who are veterans in the profession, would continue to support them with prayers to achieve success in their assignments.

    Several other GOCOP members, who spoke on the occasion, commended the presidential media team for recognising the important role of the online media in modern information dissemination and appealed to them to keep it up.

  • NGE Fellow lauds Adesina, Garba’s appointment

    NGE Fellow lauds Adesina, Garba’s appointment

    A Fellow of the |Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr. Folu Olamiti has congratulated Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser (Media / Publicity) and Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant (Media / Publicity) on their appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    In a statement yesterday he said, “They are obviously the right choice of people for the Administration’s media and public affairs management. As thoroughbred professionals with vast experiences and contacts in the media industry here in Nigeria and abroad, they will add great value to President Buhari’s efforts at bringing positive change to the various sectors of national life.”

    He added that with the high expectations of citizens for a better deal under the new Administration, President Buhari surely needs very capable hands to assist him in carrying the media and the people along.

     

  • AfDB presidency: Buhari’s phone calls to global leaders shaped my election, says Adesina

    AfDB presidency: Buhari’s phone calls to global leaders shaped my election, says Adesina

    THE newly elected President of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, yesterday spoke of President Muhammadu Buhari’s role in his election.

    Adesina said Buhari made vital phone calls to global leaders in respect of the position that resulted in his emergence as the AfDB President, noting that the outcome of the race would have been different were it not for him.

    The ex-minister of Agriculture and Rural Development under former President Goodluck Jonathan administration spoke at the Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, when he visited Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

    He added that other notable Nigerians, including former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Jonathan, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and others stood behind him.

    Adesina noted that the dream and vision of African countries are one and pledged to use his office as president of the continental bank “to develop Africa, fight poverty, develop infrastructure and revive rural economies”.

    He said: “I want to use this opportunity to congratulate President Buhari on his election and his inauguration. I want to thank him tremendously for the support that he gave me on the run for the presidency of the African Development Bank.

    “Without that support and without him personally engaged in making calls to critical global leaders in the last days of the election, I don’t think we might have seen the result we saw today.

    “I want to really thank the President tremendously for his support and for his commitment and to helping make sure we got that victory.

    “Obviously, I couldn’t have also been here, except the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, nominated me. I feel tremendously humbled with that nomination and supported me tremendously by putting a lot of weight behind me.

    “I want to thank particularly, former Vice President Namadi Sambo who also went with me to different parts of Africa in mobilising support. Also former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who also was in the frontline of actually pushing and helping us.

    “So tremendous amount of goodwill that we had. The National Assembly was great, the press was generous, and all Nigerians, it is not about me, it is about our country and we are a great country.

    He added: “I want to assure you that I as the president of the bank, by the grace of God, poverty would not be the comparative advantage of Africa and we would work very hard to develop programmes that would end poverty on this continent, that would lead people out of it and create opportunities for shared prosperity all across our continent.

    “Obviously, I think critical issues of infrastructure would be important, energy for all would be important, electricity would be important, very critical to build private sector and to create wealth all across our continent.

    “We want to ensure that we are able to create jobs for hundreds of millions of our people, instead of people going across this Sahara Desert or Mediterranean to go to Europe, we want to create job on this continent of Africa and we can do that.

    “Also, I believe we must revive our rural economies and lift hundreds of our rural people that depend on agriculture out of poverty. So, getting agriculture to work as a business is going to be a big one that we are going to do for inclusive growth and also into regional integration.”

    Dr. Adesina said his dream and vision for Africa is one, adding: “An Africa that is growing well, has a lot of shared prosperity and Africa where you have a lot of peace, stability and security, and one which is regionally integrated within ourselves, but also globally competitive in what we do.”

     

     

     

  • Buhari appoints Adesina, Shehu as spokesmen

    Buhari appoints Adesina, Shehu as spokesmen

    President Muhammadu Buhari last night appointed his spokesmen in the first set of appointments made by his administration.

    Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Mr. Femi Adesina is Special Adviser (Media and Publicity). Mallam Garba Shehu is Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity).

    The President also appointed Mallam Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure as the State Chief of Protocol (SCOP).

    Adesina was re-elected President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) last month after serving out a two-year first term.

    He started his 28-year career in newspapering at the Vanguard as a feature writer before joining Concord newspapers as a pioneer member of the Weekend Concord team.

    He also served as Editor of National Concord. He moved to The Sun where he rose to the position of editor before being appointed managing director and editor-in-chief. He was named the Editor of the Year 2007 by the Nigeria Media Merit Award organisers.

    Shehu served as the Director, Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. He was Editor of Kano-based Triumph newspaper and President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors 16 years ago. He was head of the media team of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in 1999.

    Abdullahi Kazaure is a career Foreign Service official and currently serves in Aso Rock Villa as a Special Assistant (Presidential Matters).

  • Adesina pledges stronger AfDB

    Adesina pledges stronger AfDB

    The President of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has said he will work with shareholders to build a new bank with inclusive growth.

    AfDB shareholders are from African and non-African countries.

    Adesina said together we will “build a stronger and more prosperous Africa, with smart infrastructure, energy for all, a strong private sector, new economic opportunities that will deliver quality jobs and hope for millions of youths and women, revival of Africa’s rural economies to lift many out of poverty, and regional integration for shared prosperity”.

    From rural areas to burgeoning cities, the AfDB helmsman said he has seen vast opportunities for a greater and more inclusive Africa and hopes to build on the work of his predecessor.

    Adesina thanked “former President Goodluck Jonathan for nominating him, his confidence, and his steadfast, enthusiastic support; President Muhammadu Buhari for his strong endorsement and rallying support for us and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for her vital role and tremendous effort in delivering this successful outcome”.

    He said: “Dr. Okonjo-Iweala worked passionately for our campaign, and our success would have been impossible without her tireless work shepherding support among many of the esteemed finance ministers and governors at the AfDB.

    “In addition, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Heads of State Generals Yakubu Gowon and Abdulsalami Abubakar,  former Vice-Presidents Atiku Abubakar  and Namadi Sambo worked determinedly to build support for my candidacy.”