THISDAY Newspapers Inaugurates New Board of Directors

Davidson Iriekpen

THISDAY Newspapers Limited, Nigeria’s premier media organisation of record, has inaugurated a new board of directors with the inclusion of two new Executive Directors and three Non-Executive Directors to the board, a statement from the newspaper group’s management said wednesday.

The new Executive Directors who were recently appointed to the board are Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, a former Editor of THISDAY, former Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the late President Umaru Musa Ya’Adua and currently the Chairman of THISDAY Editorial Board; and Ms. Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, who is currently the Editor of the paper, Non-Executive Director of First Pension Custodian Nig. Ltd. (FPCNL), and former Divisional Director, Editorial of THISDAY Newspapers.

The new Non-Executive Directors are Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi, an investment banker and former Managing Director/CEO of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON); Mr. Hassan Ahmed Danbaba, former Chairman of Legacy Pension Funds Limited and Special Adviser, Traditional Matters to former President Olusegun Obasanjo; and Mr. Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, a prominent Borno politician and former Presidential Liaison Officer (Senate) at the start of the Obasanjo administration.

The five new directors, the statement said, would be joining Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of the THISDAY Newspaper Group, Mr. Eniola Bello, Managing Director of THISDAY Newspapers, Mr. Kayode Komolafe, Deputy Managing Director of THISDAY Newspapers, and Mr. Israel Iwegbu, Group Executive Director, Abuja and Northern Operations, THISDAY Newspapers, on the board.

While congratulating the newly appointed directors, Obaigbena said: “These appointments will greatly assist in the plans we have to navigate the THISDAY Newspapers Group in the changing climate of print and electronic journalism as we know it.

“With the entrenchment of online media websites that deliver up-to-the-minute news, citizens’ journalism provided by news blogs and social media platforms, large-scale ‘leaks’ of electronic documents as the future of investigative journalism, and the rise of online television, movie and entertainment channels that can be accessed on mobile devices, the board will be mandated to draw up and implement an aggressive but deliverable strategy that will keep THISDAY in lockstep with the digitisation of journalism.”

“These are exciting times for THISDAY,” he added. “With this new board and the wealth of experience that all the members will be bringing to the table, I have no doubt that our media group will continue on its strong growth trajectory,” Obaigbena said.

He expressed optimism about the future of THISDAY, adding: “These appointments show the strength of the talents within and outside THISDAY and demonstrate our commitment to the future of the organisation. We could not have put together a better team for the board of directors.”