By Samson Adeyan

Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has approved the appointment of Rev. Fr Dr. Patrick Alumunku, OON, as Chairman of the Board of the Benue Television Corporation.

Alumunku, a renowned media professional, brings decades of experience in broadcasting and communications to the position. He holds a Doctorate Degree in Mass Communication and previously worked for 12 years with Vatican Radio.

He also served for 21 years as Director of Communications at the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja and is currently the Executive Director of Catholic Television of Nigeria.

His appointment is part of a broader board constitution approved by Governor Alia to strengthen the operations of the state-owned broadcasting corporation.

Other members of the board include Dr. Thaddeus Hanmakyugh as Secretary, Mrs. Jennifer Ejembi, Dr. Barnabas Gbam, and Engr. Sunday Iji.

Hanmakyugh holds a doctorate in Film Production and Media Arts from the University of Abuja and retired from the National Film Institute.

Ejembi is a former Executive Director of the Nigerian Television Authority in Ibadan, while Gbam previously served as Rector of the NTA College Jos. Engr. Iji is a former Director of Engineering Services at Radio Benue.

According to a statement issued by the governor’s Technical Adviser on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communication, Chief Solomon Iorpev, the appointments take immediate effect.

Governor Alia charged the new board to deploy their wealth of experience toward improving broadcasting standards in Benue State and promoting the state’s cultural heritage through quality programming.

By Patrick Idowu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Mr Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of State for Finance, replacing Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite.

In a letter to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President sought the Senate’s confirmation of Oyedele’s appointment. Uzoka-Anite has been redeployed to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning as Minister of State.

Oyedele, from Ikaram-Akoko in Ondo State, was until his nomination the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which led major reforms of Nigeria’s tax system.

An economist and accountant, Oyedele holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and Finance from Yaba College of Technology and a BSc in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University.

He has attended executive programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

He spent 22 years at PwC, rising to Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader. Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University and a visiting scholar at Lagos Business School.

By Omoniyi David

Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr Sam Amadi, has urged Nigerians not to place confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deployment of technology.

Amadi spoke at the Citizens Town Hall Meeting on Electoral Act 2026 in Abuja, where he called for a bipartisan audit commission to review INEC’s technological systems. He said controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections remain unresolved.

“We finished the 2023 election with so many allegations and issues,” he said, criticising the National Assembly for failing to conduct a comprehensive public hearing. He noted that key officials were not put on oath to explain what transpired.

Amadi insisted that electoral accountability is vital to restoring public trust, warning that without an independent audit of INEC’s technological infrastructure, confidence in the electoral process will remain fragile.