THISDAY Group Announces New Executive Appointments

Iriekpen attended Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta and the University of Ibadan. He joined THISDAY Newspapers in 2000. His commitment to his job, saw him being moved from the sub-desk to Sunday paper, where he anchored international and political stories. In 2007, he was moved again to cover Judiciary, a beat he covered so diligently and effectively to the admiration of lawyers. As a result of the way and manner he covered the courts and other legal and constitutional matters, in 2010, he was made the Judiciary Editor.

In 2012, he was elevated to the position of Group News Editor, a position he held till 2018, when he was appointed Deputy Editor Daily.

Adebowale, 53, was reappointed the Editor of Saturday THISDAY Newspaper. A British Chevening Scholar, he holds over 28 years’ experience in media, advertising and Public Relations. Before joining THISDAY, he had worked in places like Vanguard, Newswatch, The Punch, MTN Nigeria and the Yorkshire Post Newspaper in the United Kingdom.

Adebowale has won numerous awards in journalism, including the 2000 Commonwealth Media Award by Fletcher Challenge Paper, New Zealand; the 1999 African Journalist of the Year Award by the African Journalist Foundation, AJF, South Africa and the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) in 1999.

The THISDAY Saturday Editor was educated at the University of Cambridge, University of Leeds, Ogun State Polytechnic, Baptist Academy, Lagos, Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Secondary School, Maryland, Lagos and St. Agnes Primary School, Maryland, Lagos.

Olaleye joined the THISDAY family on December 9, 1998, where he rose from being an intern to becoming the Group Politics Editor and later, Deputy Editor on Sunday.

A graduate of Mass Communications from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (former Ogun State Polytechnic), Ojere, Abeokuta in Ogun State, he also holds a Master degree in Communication Studies from the Lagos State University, LASU. A noted political reporter, Olaleye had undertaken some development courses over time, including a media operation course at the Kofi Annan Centre in Accra, Ghana and an Executive Development Programme on Leading Teams for Optimal Performance by the TEXEM Group.

Chima joined THISDAY in 2010 as a Business Correspondent and was appointed Group Business Editor in 2018. He started his career in 2006, with National Mirror Newspapers as a Business Reporter, immediately after graduating from Imo State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics. He also worked briefly with The Punch Newspaper and Business Hallmark Newspaper as Business Correspondent respectively, as well as with Profund Securities Limited as a Research and Planning Officer.

Chima is presently a doctoral student of Policy and Strategic Studies at Covenant University, Ogun State. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Research and Public Policy from the University of Lagos as well as a Master of Science in Economics from the Lagos State University. He has attended courses on business journalism in Nigeria, which includes Bloomberg Media Initiative in Africa; Advanced Training on Financial Journalism, Press Media Association, London; Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (AWARES), Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos; and Thompson Reuters Training on Financial Journalism, Uganda, among several others.

Akanbi boasts some 30 years experience in Journalism. He began his journalism career with the old Daily Times in 1991, from where he joined The Punch in 2000 and rose to the position of Assistant Editor, (Business) until he joined THISDAY as Sunday Business Editor in March 2008.

In 2015, he became a deputy editor, THISDAY (Sunday) until he took a leave of absence to work with former Minister of Finance as a Special Assistant on Communications, in February 2016.

He later worked as an Assistant Director, Federal Inland Revenue Service between 2017 and September 2020. He returned to THISDAY as Deputy Editor, Saturday.

Akanbi, who holds a Master degree in History from the University of Lagos, is currently a doctoral student of History and Strategic Studies of the same University.

Alike, a graduate of Accounting and a Master holder in Banking and Finance from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, joined THISDAY as Energy Correspondent in 2008 and was promoted to the position of News Editor in 2018. Prior to then, he was an Energy Analyst with BusinessDay Newspaper. He had also gathered experience in public service from the Enugu State Local Government System, where he rose to become a senior staff member.

Ogbu is a graduate of Mass Communication from Federal Polytechnic, Oko (then Anambra State Polytechnic), where he obtained HND. Thereafter, he obtained a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Federal University of Technology, Owerri, before obtaining a Post-graduate Diploma and Master of Art in Linguistics and Communication Studies from the University of Port Harcourt.

He had held the positions of Judicial Editor, Editor, House of Representatives as well as covered the Presidential Villa, Abuja from where he was posted to the Saturday Desk as News Editor, before the current promotion.