New Directors-General named for Radio Nigeria, NAN, NTA, NOA, NBC, VON

The Federal Government on Wednesday named chief executives for six agencies under the Ministry of Information and Culture.

The appointments were announced in Abuja by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
The new Director Generals include Ishaq Modibo Kawu – Director-General, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Mansur Liman – Director-General, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); and Yakubu Mohammed – Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

Others are Garba Abari – Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA); Bayo Onanuga – Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN); and Osita Okechukwu – Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON).

The new appointees replaced the chief executives of the parastatals who were removed on February 15, 2016.

Below are short profiles of the new appointees.

Ishaq Modibo Kawu – Director-General, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC)

Before his appointment, Mr. Kawu was Chief Executive Officer of Abuja-based media firm, Word, Sound and Vision Multimedia Limited.

He holds a Bachelors degree in Mass Communication and Masters degree in Political Science. Mr. Kawu has deep and varied experience having reported for Radio Nigeria, Radio France International, Radio Netherlands and BBC World Service.

He was one of the pioneer staff of Radio Kwara, pioneer general manager of Kwara State Television Authority and editor of Daily Trust Newspaper. He was later appointed chairman of the Daily Trust Editorial Board. It was from there he started his own company, Word, Sound and Vision Multimedia Limited. He is from Kwara State, North-central Nigeria.

Mansur Liman – Director-General, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN),

Not much is known about Mr. Liman at this time. But he was head of the British Broadcasting Service, BBC, Hausa Service.

Garba Abari, Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA)

Garba Abari was born on December 15, 1955 in Potiskum, Yobe State, North-east Nigeria. He had his early education at Central Primary School, Potiskum and Fika Government Secondary School also in Potiskum.

He holds a Ph.D in Political Science and has taught at the College Of Basic Studies, Maiduguri, and the University of Maiduguri.

Before being appointed DG of NOA, Mr. Abari was a senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Maiduguri.

He is a member of many professional bodies including the Nigerian Political Science Association, African Political Science Association, Nigeria Society of International Affairs and the Nigeria Economic Summit Group.

Osita Okechukwu – Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON)

Mr. Okechukwu, is an indigene of Eke community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State in Nigeria’s South-east.  He is a graduate of the University of Nigeria, UNN, having bagged a Bachelor of Science degree from the institution.

Mr. Okechukwu was a former governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, and the South-east spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

During an interview shortly after Muhammadu Buhari became the country’s president, Mr. Okechukwu said his support for the president was not for personal gains.

“My unalloyed support for President Buhari in the presidential campaign elections of 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 was more than personal. I mean sincerely that it is more of national than personal interest,” he had said.

Bayo Onanuga – Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Mr. Onanuga was born on June 20, 1957 in in Ijebu-Ode, South-east Nigeria. He attended Ijebu Muslim College, Ijebu-Ode, Federal Government College, Odogbolu and the University of Lagos where obtained a Bachelors degree in Mass Communications.

After graduation, Mr. Onanuga worked as client service executive at Practions Partners, and later joined Ogun State Television in 1982. He, however, joined the Guardian Newspaper as a sub-editor in July 1983 but in January 1985 moved to National Concord as senior features writer and later same year as senior correspondent for the weekly magazine, The African Concord.

He was appointed editor of African Concord in 1989. In April 1992, he resigned his appointment and with his colleagues founded The News Group in 1993.

Mr. Onanuga remained managing director/editor-in-chief of The News Group before his latest appointment. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and a member of the World Association of Newspapers.

Yakubu Mohammed – Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)

Not much is known about him at this point. We learnt he was a former executive director at NTA, and currently Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Bauchi State Governor.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We initially thought the Yakubu Mohammed appointed to run NTA was that of Newswatch. But we have since learnt it is a different person. This post has been updated to reflect the new information.