Chairman of the editorial board of The Herald newspapers and Secretary of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria chapter, Raheem Adedoyin has been elected along with 15 others to the governing board of the organisation in Vienna.
Adedoyin was elected unopposed on October 16 to the board at the 70th General Assembly of IPI holding in Austria, with at least 200 member journalists, some of whom virtually tuned in to the event worldwide.
IPI focuses exclusively on press freedom and the welfare of journalists across the world.
Adedoyin succeeds late Wada Maida, the publisher of People’s Daily. Maida had succeeded Kabir Yusuf, the publisher of Daily Trust.
A graduate of Mass Communication from the University of Lagos, Adedoyin was an assistant editor at the Guardian newspapers and editor-in-chief/chief executive officer of The Herald.
Other newly elected IPI board members are Walid Batrawi (Palestine); John Daniszewski (USA); Marton Gergely (Hungary); Emre Kizilkaya (Turkey); Elizaveta Osetinskaya (Russia); Etaf Roudan (Jordan); Hiroki Sugita (Japan); Jussi Tuulensuu (Finland); and Sami Zeidan (Qatar).
Zaffar Abbas (Pakistan) was re-elected to the board alongside Mahfuz Anam (Bangladesh); Monika Eigenaperger (Austria); David Jordan (UK); Riyad Mathew (India); and Khadija Patel (South Africa).
The 70th IPI Congress, which began on Wednesday, reviewed the situation of press freedom and media industry in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
The congress featured lectures, Masterclasses, and seminars on varying topics such as Africa talk: Innovation in the distribution of news on messaging platforms; Think Globally, report locally; sustainable financing of media; how can philanthropy help?; Master class: combating online harassment; strategy round table: independent journalism, cooperation and solidarity in central and Eastern Europe; townhall: strategies for resistance; conversation: are you still there? How to keep and grow our audiences; amongst others.
Nigerian delegates to the congress are Sir Folu Olamiti, member of IPI Nigeria Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Church of Nigeria Advent Cable Network Nigeria Television ACNNTV; Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer of Premium Times; Dr. Benjamin Fabian, General Manager (Public Affairs) of JAMB ; Mrs Tawakalit Olayemi Yusuf, member of the Executive Management of Sobi FM and IPI member; and Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor and IPI member.
This year’s Congress comes two years after the last one in Geneva. Last year’s congress was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
