The National League of Veteran Journalists (NALVEJ) in Kwara State has elected new executives that will run its affairs for the next three years, while returning Alh. Mohammed Tunde Akanbi, who is Voice of Nigeria’s correspondent in Kwara State, as the league’s chairman for a second term of office.

Members of the league on Wednesday took the unanimous decision, citing Akanbi’s superlative performance as reason for his reappointment.

The inauguration of the new executives was witnessed by top government officials and media gurus.

Those who graced the colourful event included the State Commisioner for Communication, Bola Olukoju; the State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), AbdulLateef ‘Lanre Ahmed; State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Segun Adeyemi; and Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on Religion (Islam), Alhaji Ibrahim Danmaigoro.

Other media gurus in attendance were the founder of Albarka FM and a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Alh. Bashir Adigun; the Managing Director of National Pilot Newspapers, Alh. Billy Adedamola; the Director of Administration, Radio Kwara, Mr Sikiru Azeez; the Director of Information, Ministry of Communication, Alh. Gani Atere; and the Director of Public Orientation in the Ministry, Alh. Jimoh Salawu.

The league also used the forum to honour the newly appointed General Managers of the Kwara State Broadcasting Corporation (Radio Kwara), Kwara Television Service (KWTV) and the Kwara State Printing and Publishing Corporation, publishers of The Herald newspapers: Messrs Kayode Aremu, Ayobami Akanbi and Yomi Adeboye respectively.

In his acceptance speech, Alhaji Akanbi thanked NALVEJ members for the confidence they reposed in him and other members of his team.
He pledged to take the league to greater heights during his second term of office.

The NALVEJ chairman thanked the State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his tremendous support for both the veteran and young journalists in the State, adding that the selection of indigenous journalists as new general managers for the State-owned media outfits was another testimony of the governor’s love and respect for journalists in the State.

In her remarks, the Commissioner for Communications, Bola Olukoju, called for journalists’ continuous support for the programmes and activities of the Governor AbdulRazaq-led administration.

Olukoju said concerted efforts would be made by her and her team to showcase the governor’s giant strides in all sectors through appropriate communication platforms.

The Kwara State NUJ chairman, Ahmed, who hailed the governor for his support for the State’s media outfits, solicited for more assistance for the media to enable them perform optimally.

Similarly, in a goodwill message, a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the immediate past Special Adviser on Strategy to the State Governor, Alh Saadu Salahu, also hailed the governor for appointing journalists into public offices in the State.

He thanked the governor for appointing a communication expert, Bola Olukoju, as Commisioner for Communication, and tested and experienced professionals as general managers of the State-owned media outfits.

Also speaking, the founder of Albarka FM and Governor AbdulRazaq’s immediate past Special Adviser on Political Communications, Alhaji Bashir Adigun, congratulated Olukoju and the three general managers of the State media outfits on their well deserved appointments.

The immediate past chairmen of the board of directors of KWTV and Radio Kwara, Alh Hameed Adio and Mr Kayode Adeyipo, also in their goodwill messages, attested to the love and respect the governor has for both working and veteran journalists in the State.

Other members of NALVEJ executives are Ola-Olu Ajayi (vice chairman), Mudasiru Adewuyi (secretary), Doyin Christie (Asst. secretary), Sule Sabi (treasurer), Silifat Adeyemi (financial secretary), Gbenga Olarinoye (welfare officer), Tunde Bello (auditor), AbdulRahman AbdulMalik (legal adviser) and Abdullahi Olesin (publicity secretary).