Mojeed, Shekarau emerge IPI Nigeria leaders

The Editor-in-Chief/Chief Operating Officer of Premium Times, Nigeria, Muskilu Mojeed, has emerged the president of the Nigeria chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI).

He was elected unopposed during a session of the General Assembly of the Institute, which was held physically and virtually in Abuja on Thursday.

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Also, the General Manager, Business and Strategy of Media Trust Limited, publishers of Daily Trust, Ahmed I. Shekarau, was elected the secretary of the institute.  He won the majority of the votes cast at the election, defeating Dr Qasim Akinreti, who is the Deputy Director, Digital Media, Voice of Nigeria (VON).

A statement issued Friday in Abuja by the executive Board member of the global body of the institute, Raheem Adedoyin, also announced the emergence, unopposed, of Rafatu Salami, Assistant Director, Digital Media of VON, as treasurer.

The oath of office for the newly constituted executive members was administered immediately after the General Assembly by a lawyer/notary public, Zainab Musa.

The statement disclosed that the General Assembly mandated the newly constituted executive to work towards filling the vacant positions of deputy president, assistant general secretary, financial secretary and legal adviser, which were not filled yesterday because there were no nominations into them.

The election was conducted by a three-member electoral panel, which had the chairman of Daily Trust, Kabiru Yusuf; the founder of Radio Now, Kadaria Ahmed and Mr Adedoyin as members.

In his acceptance speech after his emergence as president, Mr Mojeed, who expressed the appreciation of his team to all members of the institute for the confidence reposed in them, assured that the new executive would work harder towards deepening press freedom and accelerating free speech in Nigeria and the world at large.

Mojeed and Shekarau took over yesterday from Mallam Kabiru Yusuf and Mr Adedoyin, who had piloted the affairs of the body for years as chairman and secretary, respectively and have since been elevated to the Board of Trustees of the organisation. 

Other members of the Board of Trustees of the institute are Ms Ahmed, the Managing Director of ThisDay Newspapers, Eniola Bello, and veteran journalist, and Newsport Online, Folu Olamiti.