Tinubu withdraws appointment of Rotimi Pedro as DG NTA, reinstates Salihu Dembos

President Bola Tinubu has withdrawn the appointment of Rotimi Pedro as Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA.

Pedro, a Lagos State native and seasoned broadcaster who previously worked with Bloomberg Television Africa, was named NTA DG in August through a State House announcement.

At the time, the presidency also unveiled three other senior appointments: Karimah Bello from Katsina State as Executive Director of Marketing, Stella Din from Plateau State as Executive Director of News, and Sophia Mohammed from Adamawa State as Managing Director of NTA Enterprises Limited.

But in a fresh directive issued on Tuesday, Tinubu cancelled Pedro’s appointment. The reversal was conveyed in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Onanuga confirmed that the president has ordered the reinstatement of Salihu Abdullahi Dembos, who had served as NTA Director-General prior to Pedro’s brief tenure.

Dembos was originally appointed to the role by Tinubu in October 2023.

“He will now return to complete his three-year tenure,” said Onanuga.

The statement added, “The President similarly directed the recall of Mr Ayo Adewuyi, the Executive Director of News, to complete his three-year tenure, which ends in 2027.

“Adewuyi was appointed by President Tinubu in 2024. The new directive effectively reversed the previously announced appointments of a director-general, executive director of news, executive director of marketing, and managing director of NTA Enterprises.”