Tinubu Backs AEF Report, Reinstates NTA DG, ED

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the recall of Salihu Dembos, Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and Ayo Adewuyi, Executive Director of News, to resume their tenures after recent management changes in the agency.

This development follows a report by Economic Confidential on concerns raised by the Arewa Economic Forum (AEF) over the alleged removal of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Director-General, Mallam Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos. The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, alleging the move is part of a broader pattern to remove northern appointees from key government positions.

AEF Chairman Ibrahim Dandakata in a press statement noted that reports of Dembos’s removal were not officially announced but instead leaked to the media, creating confusion. “Such an approach undermines the credibility of official communication, while raising serious questions about the motives behind it,” the statement read.

The group further expressed concern over reports that several Executive Directors, appointed as recently as last September, were also allegedly removed. According to the AEF, this suggests the process is not only irregular but deliberately targeted.

However, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said on Monday that Dembos, first appointed in October 2023, will now return to complete his three-year term.

Adewuyi, who was appointed in 2024, will also continue in office until his tenure ends in 2027.

“The new directive effectively reverses the previously announced appointments of a director-general, executive director of news, executive director of marketing, and managing director of NTA Enterprises,” Onanuga stated.