Members of Society of Nigerian Broadcasters (SNB) yesterday elected Professor Umaru Pate as their pioneer president.
Professor Pate is the Vice Chancellor of Federal University Kashere, Gombe State.
Hundreds of delegates, drawn for the televisions, radio stations and digital platforms from the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, converged on Abuja for the first national conference of the association held at the NICON Luxury between Wednesday and Thursday.
During the event, there was serious brainstorming, panel discussions and paper presentations on the future of the broadcast industry in Nigeria.
The election of executives that would lead the association took place on Thursday.
The Electoral Committee Chairman, who is a former National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Director General, Engr. Yomi Bolanrinwa announced Pate as the president.
Prof. Pate defeated Mr. Okoduwa Matthew Eigbobor, a former Zonal Director of NBC with 231 votes against 12 to become the Pioneer SNB President.
Also, Malam Ado Sa’idu Warawa emerged as Vice President, North West zone of the Society unopposed.
Speaking after emerging as the duly elected president of SNB, Prof. Pate thanked members of SNB for finding him worthy to lead the association and promised to do his best to make it great.
He is Professor of Media and Society. Before he was appointed the Vice Chancellor of the FUK in February 2021, he had served as the founding Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Bayero University, Kano and the immediate past Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies and the Acting Chair of the Committee of Deans and Directors in the same University (2019-2021).
Equally, he was the immediate past Vice Chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) Advisory Group and a Member of the National Research and Development Standing Committee.
Before relocating to BUK as a Professor, he had served as a Professor in the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Maiduguri where he rose through the ranks beginning as a Graduate Assistant, an Associate Professor in 2002 and full Professor in 2007.