President Bola Tinubu has reversed recent management changes at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), ordering the return of the Director-General, Salihu Dembos, and the Executive Director of News, Ayo Adewuyi, to their respective posts.
This was disclosed in a statement made available by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
The Port City News earlier reported that Tinubu sacked Dembos and appointed Rotimi Pedro as the replacement.
However, Onanuga’s statement stated that this effectively sets aside fresh appointments that had been made within the national television network.
According to him, Dembos, who was appointed DG by Tinubu in October 2023, will now resume to complete his three-year tenure.
Similarly, Adewuyi, appointed as the Executive Director of News by the President in 2024, will also be returning to his role to complete his term, which is slated to end in 2027.
The President’s decision nullifies the previously announced appointments for the positions of Director-General, Executive Director of News, Executive Director of Marketing, and Managing Director of NTA Enterprises.
Onanuga did not provide a reason for the reversal, but it restores the previous leadership structure at the NTA. Salihu Dembos, a Nigerian broadcast journalist, was born on August 27, 1960.
Originally from the Yola South Local Government Area in Adamawa State, Dembos holds a Higher National Diploma in Marketing from Kaduna Polytechnic.
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Following his graduation, he completed his mandatory National Youth Service in Akwa Ibom in 1989. He also earned a Post-Graduate Diploma from Ahmadu Bello University.
Dembos began his career with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) as an announcer at NTA Kaduna. He went on to serve as the General Manager for both NTA Lokoja and NTA Kano.
He was later appointed as the Acting Zonal Director of the NTA Kaduna Network Centre before his retirement on March 31, 2017.
After his retirement, the late President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him as the Executive Director of Marketing for the Nigerian Television Authority.
On September 21, 2022, Buhari named him the 12th Director General of the NTA, a position he was reappointed to by Tinubu in October 2023.
Additionally, Dembos is the former National President of the Radio, Television, Theatre and Art Workers Union.
