President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the recall of Mr. Salihu Abdullahi Dembos as Director-General of the Nigeria Television Authority to continue administering his statutory three-year term as head of the organization, returning from being replaced with a new management team putting NTA’s leadership transition into confusion. The desired recall of Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, the Executive Director of News, was also confirmed.
Mr. Dembos was first appointed to lead the NTA in October 2023 and will have completed his term in line with statutory terms he put in place with the organization. Mr. Adewuyi was appointed in 2024 and will also have completed his appointed term as Executive Director of News prior to his expiration in 2027.
Both officials had been affected by the fresh appointments announced in August, which introduced a new management team led by Mr. Rotimi Pedro as Director-General, with communications leadership from Stella Din Jacob as Executive Director of News, Karimah Bello as Executive Director Marketing and Sophia Mohammed, as the Managing Director of NTA Enterprises. The directive from the President sets aside these appointments and ongoing confusion around NTA’s leadership and the roles and expectations of an important public institution.
Observers see the President’s directive as a move to return stability and consistency to the country’s flagship broadcaster engaged in government communication and national public communication. By permitting Mr. Dembos and Mr. Adewuyi to complete their statutory terms, the President has affirmed the principle of security of tenure, and reinstated clarity on the direction of NTA’s leadership in an organization dedicated to national information.
This most recent reversal fits into the growing trend of retraction within the administration, following the President’s retraction of the reappointment of a Muheeba Dankaka as Executive Chair of the Federal Character Commission only hours after announcing the confirmation of her appointment. This reinforces a cautious approach to decision-making even with high-profile reappointment of public service appointments, indicating a continued lack of cohesion in the administration’s reappointment strategy and willingness to reassess when reappointment has been made.
For NTA, the recall of its leadership represents a reset within its governance framework, a reaffirmation of its responsibility to broadcast information that accurately, responsibly, and most importantly what is relevant to national citizenship. With Mr. Dembos back to lead the network along with Mr. Adewuyi, it will offer continuity in its leadership while still delivering the government’s national objectives around public communication.
The President’s recent decision has already drawn the ire and intrigue of observers within political and media circles, observing its implications for continuity in an institution and in relation to how federal appointments are being managed. Observers are keenly awaiting to see how a sudden reversal of decision and the coordination of decision-making equities will evolve, especially against the backdrop and structure that underscore how critical it is to deliver stability, while recommitting the integrity of regional and organizational tenure-based leadership in public institutions.
Returning the Director-General and Executive Director of News again allowing both to complete their terms, provides a direct signal to NTA that President Tinubu is reaffirming the institution of NTA at the center of public broadcasting, and to allow NTA leadership transitions will recognise and respect the institutions mandate and allow for continuity.