New details have come to light on why President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday overturned recent leadership changes at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The president nullified the appointment of Rotimi Pedro as Director General and restored Salihu Dembos to the position, on Monday night.

He also recalled other top executives whose roles were affected by the shake-up.

In a report, PREMIUM TIMES said a presidential aide with experience in broadcasting had pushed for the changes, arguing that the NTA leadership was ineffective, losing viewers, and failing to adequately showcase government programmes.

This laid the foundation for the changes which the Information and National Orientation, Minister Mohammed Idris, under whose purview the NTA falls, did not get informed about.

The situation was considered embarrassing for the minister, as Dembos and some senior managers were at that time part of a federal government delegation on a three-day citizens’ engagement tour of Enugu and Ebonyi States led by Mr Idris.

This reportedly bypassed the minister and triggered disquiet.

According to the platform, upon returning from the South East tour, Mr Idris met with the president to express concern over the process and sought approval to probe the allegations.

The findings presented to President Tinubu indicated that the claims were false and orchestrated by interest groups seeking control of the agency.

After considering the minister’s report, the president immediately ordered the reversal of the appointments and reinstated the officials earlier, according to PREMIUM TIMES.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga confirmed the decision, saying Dembos, who was appointed in October 2023, would now complete his three-year tenure.

He also noted that Ayo Adewuyi, executive director of news, appointed in 2024, would serve out his tenure ending in 2027.

The directive nullified the appointments of a new director general, executive director of news, executive director of marketing, and managing director of NTA Enterprises.

Repeated attempts to get comments from Mr Idris were unsuccessful, while Mr Onanuga also did not respond to calls, the paper added. (Daily Trust)

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