Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde yesterday approved the appointment of the immediate past Sunday Editor of Vanguard newspaper, Mr. Jide Ajani as Special Adviser on Media.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, the appointment of Mr. Ajani takes immediate effect.
Ajani, who was described as a thoroughbred journalist, read Mass Communication at the Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic) Abeokuta and also holds a Masters’ Degree in Communication Studies from the University of Leicester, England.
Through the instrumentality of some Executive Programmes, Ajani became an alumnus of Oxford University – Smith School of The Environment – Oxford; Aston Business School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham; Henley Business School, University of Reading, Reading; and Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester – all in the United Kingdom.
He was appointed Editor, Sunday Vanguard, in December 2011 having served as Politics Editor of the paper between January 1998 and November 2008.
Ajani, a prolific political reporter whose journalism career had spanned 33 years, was subsequently named Deputy Sunday Editor in November 2008 and remained on that post till December 2010 when he was named Editor, Northern Operations in January 2011.
In June 2011, he was re-appointed Deputy Editor, Sunday Vanguard and emerged Editor, Sunday Vanguard in December of the same year.
Before rising to the position of Editor Sunday Vanguard, Ajani had worked at the defunct Reflections Magazine between 1987 and 1988 as well as The Sunday Magazine, TSM, where he was a Staff Writer between October 1991 and December 1992.
He had also worked as an aide to the former Defence Chief, Gen. Domkat Yah Bali (retd), and had been involved in public relations and public policy advisory.
Ajani, a budding chef, who is also adept at PR Consulting and Strategic Policy Analysis, had served on presidential and gubernatorial strategic committees with specific mandates on effective public communications, policy framing, information risk assessment and management, institutional messaging, among, others.
