President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate recall of Mr. Salihu Abdullahi Dembos as Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Mr. Ayo Adewuyi as Executive Director of News. This directive, announced in a statement on Tuesday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, effectively restores both senior executives to their respective tenures, which were briefly interrupted by a series of management changes at the state-owned television network.

The reversal specifically nullifies a set of new appointments made by the president on August 20. These earlier appointments had named Rotimi Pedro as the new Director-General of NTA, Stella Din as the Executive Director of News, Karimah Bello as the Executive Director of Marketing, and Sophia Mohammed as the Managing Director of NTA Enterprises Limited. The current directive from President Tinubu completely overrides these previously announced changes, reinstating the former leadership.

Photo Credit: The Telegraph News

Mr. Salihu Abdullahi Dembos, who was initially appointed as the Director-General of the NTA by President Tinubu in October 2023, will now return to complete his three-year tenure. Similarly, Mr. Ayo Adewuyi, who was appointed as the Executive Director of News in 2024, has been recalled to serve out his three-year tenure, which is scheduled to conclude in 2027. Mr. Onanuga emphasized that both officials are returning to complete their previously assigned terms.

This is not the first instance of the Tinubu-led administration reversing its own appointments. A notable precedent occurred in August when President Tinubu relieved Muheeba Dankaka of her role as executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), mere hours after her reappointment for a second five-year term had been announced by the presidency. The recall of the NTA officials underscores a pattern of reevaluation and adjustment in key government appointments.