THISDAY Group Announces New Executive Appointments

*Momodu replaces Adebiyi as Editor, Iriekpen becomes Sunday Editor
*Olaleye, Chima, Akanbi, Alike, Others also promoted

By Nume Ekeghe

The board of directors of THISDAY Group has announced new executive and senior appointments for THISDAY Newspapers and the Arise News Channel, with immediate effect.

Following the approval of the board, Shaka Momodu after a 7-year stint as the Editor of the Saturday and Sunday titles of the newspaper, has been appointed as the Editor of THISDAY.

He succeeds Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi, who was promoted to the position of Managing Editor (Print and Digital). Mr. Israel Iwegbu was announced as the Deputy Managing Director, THISDAY.

By this promotion, Momodu becomes the first person, who started his journalism career with THISDAY as a rookie reporter, to rise through the ranks to emerge as the editor of the most influential newspaper in the country.

He is expected to enrich the editorial content of the newspaper for the benefit of the paper’s esteemed readers.

Also, the Deputy Editor of THISDAY, Mr. Davidson Iriekpen, has been appointed Editor of THISDAY, the Sunday Newspaper, while the Editor of the Saturday Newspaper, Mr. Yemi Adebowale was reappointed on same position by the board.

Similarly, Mr. Olawale Olaleye, who was the Deputy Editor of the Sunday Newspaper was promoted to the position of Deputy Editor of THISDAY, just as the Group Business Editor, Mr. Obinna Chima was also promoted to the position of the Deputy Editor of THISDAY.

In the same vein, Mr. Festus Akanbi, the Deputy Editor of the Saturday Newspaper has been promoted to the position of the Deputy Editor of the Sunday Newspaper; the News Editor, Mr. Alike Ejiofor, was also promoted to the position of Deputy Editor of the Sunday Newspaper, and Mr. Ahamefula Ogbu, has been promoted to the position of the Deputy Editor of the Saturday Newspaper.

The Capital Market Editor, Mr. Goddy Egene was also promoted to the position of Group News Editor, while the Maritime Editor, Mr. Eromosele Abiodun is the new Group Business Editor.
For ARISE News Channel, the new Deputy Managing Directors are Mr. Bayo Awosemo and Mr. Emmanuel Efeni; and the Managing Editor is Mr. Christian Ogodo.

The board also announced the appointment of Mr. Summer Sambo as the Director of News (Abuja) and Mr. Yemi Ajayi as Director of News (Lagos) for Arise News Channel.

Similarly, the Director of Engagement & Guest Liaison for Arise News Channel is Mr. Joseph Ushigiale and Tobi Soniyi is the Deputy Director of News (Abuja). Mr. Ohi Odiai is the Deputy Director of News (Lagos) for Arise News Channel.

Momodu, born March 12, 1968, was promoted editor of THISDAY, The Sunday Newspaper in June 2018, after over four years in the job as the Editor of THISDAY, The Saturday Newspaper. He had risen through the ranks to become an associate Editor of the Saturday Newspaper, where he was promoted to Editor of the Saturday title.

He brings into the job his invaluable experience that spans over 20 years.

Momodu is a graduate of Political Science, Edo State University now Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma. He is currently doing an executive programme at the prestigious Yale School of Management, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.

Momodu attended Okotie Eboh Grammar School, Sapele between 1982 and 1986 before proceeding to one of the nation’s foremost state universities, the Edo State University, Ekpoma between 1992 and 1996. He joined THISDAY as a reporter in 2000, and a year later was promoted to senior reporter.

In 2003, he was promoted to state correspondent and was posted to Governor’s Office, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
He left the post in 2007, when he was promoted to deputy editor of The Glitterati, a lifestyle pull-out section inside the Sunday Newspaper. He was later appointed as associate editor of the Saturday Newspaper; a position he held until his appointment as the substantive Editor of the Saturday Newspaper.

An experienced journalist with over two decades’ cognate professional experience, he has extensive contacts within the nation’s business and political community. Momodu, in the course of his career, has anchored many investigative stories, profiled and interviewed over 200 political and business leaders, viz. governors, legislators and top-notch CEOs. He has attended many seminars, conferences and training courses both within and outside the country.

Iriekpen attended Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta and the University of Ibadan. He joined THISDAY Newspapers in 2000. His commitment to his job, saw him being moved from the sub-desk to Sunday paper, where he anchored international and political stories. In 2007, he was moved again to cover Judiciary, a beat he covered so diligently and effectively to the admiration of lawyers. As a result of the way and manner he covered the courts and other legal and constitutional matters, in 2010, he was made the Judiciary Editor.

In 2012, he was elevated to the position of Group News Editor, a position he held till 2018, when he was appointed Deputy Editor Daily.

Adebowale, 53, was reappointed the Editor of Saturday THISDAY Newspaper. A British Chevening Scholar, he holds over 28 years’ experience in media, advertising and Public Relations. Before joining THISDAY, he had worked in places like Vanguard, Newswatch, The Punch, MTN Nigeria and the Yorkshire Post Newspaper in the United Kingdom.

Adebowale has won numerous awards in journalism, including the 2000 Commonwealth Media Award by Fletcher Challenge Paper, New Zealand; the 1999 African Journalist of the Year Award by the African Journalist Foundation, AJF, South Africa and the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) in 1999.

The THISDAY Saturday Editor was educated at the University of Cambridge, University of Leeds, Ogun State Polytechnic, Baptist Academy, Lagos, Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Secondary School, Maryland, Lagos and St. Agnes Primary School, Maryland, Lagos.

Olaleye joined the THISDAY family on December 9, 1998, where he rose from being an intern to becoming the Group Politics Editor and later, Deputy Editor on Sunday.

A graduate of Mass Communications from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (former Ogun State Polytechnic), Ojere, Abeokuta in Ogun State, he also holds a Master degree in Communication Studies from the Lagos State University, LASU. A noted political reporter, Olaleye had undertaken some development courses over time, including a media operation course at the Kofi Annan Centre in Accra, Ghana and an Executive Development Programme on Leading Teams for Optimal Performance by the TEXEM Group.

Chima joined THISDAY in 2010 as a Business Correspondent and was appointed Group Business Editor in 2018. He started his career in 2006, with National Mirror Newspapers as a Business Reporter, immediately after graduating from Imo State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics. He also worked briefly with The Punch Newspaper and Business Hallmark Newspaper as Business Correspondent respectively, as well as with Profund Securities Limited as a Research and Planning Officer.

Chima is presently a doctoral student of Policy and Strategic Studies at Covenant University, Ogun State. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Research and Public Policy from the University of Lagos as well as a Master of Science in Economics from the Lagos State University. He has attended courses on business journalism in Nigeria, which includes Bloomberg Media Initiative in Africa; Advanced Training on Financial Journalism, Press Media Association, London; Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (AWARES), Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos; and Thompson Reuters Training on Financial Journalism, Uganda, among several others.

Akanbi boasts some 30 years experience in Journalism. He began his journalism career with the old Daily Times in 1991, from where he joined The Punch in 2000 and rose to the position of Assistant Editor, (Business) until he joined THISDAY as Sunday Business Editor in March 2008.

In 2015, he became a deputy editor, THISDAY (Sunday) until he took a leave of absence to work with former Minister of Finance as a Special Assistant on Communications, in February 2016.

He later worked as an Assistant Director, Federal Inland Revenue Service between 2017 and September 2020. He returned to THISDAY as Deputy Editor, Saturday.

Akanbi, who holds a Master degree in History from the University of Lagos, is currently a doctoral student of History and Strategic Studies of the same University.

Alike, a graduate of Accounting and a Master holder in Banking and Finance from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, joined THISDAY as Energy Correspondent in 2008 and was promoted to the position of News Editor in 2018. Prior to then, he was an Energy Analyst with BusinessDay Newspaper. He had also gathered experience in public service from the Enugu State Local Government System, where he rose to become a senior staff member.

Ogbu is a graduate of Mass Communication from Federal Polytechnic, Oko (then Anambra State Polytechnic), where he obtained HND. Thereafter, he obtained a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Federal University of Technology, Owerri, before obtaining a Post-graduate Diploma and Master of Art in Linguistics and Communication Studies from the University of Port Harcourt.

He had held the positions of Judicial Editor, Editor, House of Representatives as well as covered the Presidential Villa, Abuja from where he was posted to the Saturday Desk as News Editor, before the current promotion.