Details emerge on why President Tinubu reversed new appointments at NTA

Details have emerged on why President Bola Tinubu swiftly reversed the recent appointments at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), reinstating Salihu Dembos as Director-General and Ayo Adewuyi as Executive Director of News.

Sources familiar with the matter said the changes, which briefly saw Rotimi Pedro named as DG, were influenced by a presidential aide with a background in broadcasting. The aide reportedly advised the presidency that the NTA under its current leadership was incompetent, losing relevance, and failing to effectively promote government programmes. Acting on this advice, the new appointments were announced without the knowledge of the supervising minister, Mohammed Idris.

The development caused unease and embarrassment, as Idris was at the time leading a federal delegation on a citizens’ engagement tour in Enugu and Ebonyi States with Dembos and other senior NTA executives who had already been announced as sacked. According to insiders, the minister only learned of the changes through media reports during the tour.

Upon returning to Abuja, Idris sought an audience with the president and was given approval to probe the circumstances surrounding the appointments. Findings from his investigation, according to sources, showed that the allegations against NTA’s management were baseless and driven by vested interests seeking to capture the organisation.

On the strength of the minister’s report, President Tinubu ordered a reversal of the appointments and reinstated Dembos and Adewuyi to complete their statutory tenures. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed the decision, stating that Dembos will serve until October 2026 while Adewuyi’s tenure runs until 2027.

The NTA, established in 1977, remains Africa’s largest television network, with stations across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Although its audience has declined in recent years and critics say it operates more as a government mouthpiece than a public service broadcaster, it continues to play a key role in the projection of official policies and national events.

According to sources, the reversal not only corrected what was seen as a rushed decision but also reinforced the importance of due process in government appointments, ensuring that supervising ministers are not bypassed by interest groups and informal advisers in matters of national importance.