Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, has redeployed his Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy, Yomi Layinka, as Special Adviser, Ibadan Media City Project.
A statement by Secretary to the State Government, Olalekan Alli, conveyed the governor’s decision, on Wednesday.
By this appointment, Mr Layinka is expected to oversee the proposed transformation of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State into a massive and formidable media, entertainment and cultural hub for South-West Nigeria.
In a related development, Mr Alli said that the governor has approved the appointment of former Executive Director with the Sun Newspaper, Bolaji Tunji, to take over from Layinka as spokesman.
According to him, the redeployment of the governor’s former spokesman to the new project is further proof of the government’s commitment to reclaiming the state’s pioneer status as Nigeria’s leading centre of media, entertainment and culture.
Layinka, a veteran broadcaster, is being saddled with a new responsibility of transforming the corporation into a hub that would include television and radio broadcasting production studios, theme parks/resorts, hospitality centre, a media academy and hosting venue for major live events in the sub-region.
Alli had at a press conference in February stated that the on-going reorganisation in the corporation was a part of a long-term plan by the governor to transform the edifice to a leading media and entertainment hub that propels the unique Yoruba cultural heritage.
Until his new appointment, Tunji was the ED, Special Duties and a member of the board of the Sun Newspapers.
An alumnus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, the new governor’s spokesman was the pioneer managing director/editor-in-chief of the New Telegraph newspaper.
He began his journalism career at The Guardian newspaper in March 1993, from where he joined Daily Independent as pioneer deputy news editor in 2001 and had a meteoric rise to the position of an Editor.
Tunji also had a stint with the Daily Times before joining the defunct Comet newspaper, which later metamorphosed into The Nation Newspaper.
At the Nation, he was the pioneer editor of the Saturday title, before joining the repackaged National Mirror as pioneer Sunday Editor and later Editor of the National Mirror, the flagship of the Global Media Mirror Limited titles.
He left the National Mirror to assist in the setting up of the New Telegraph, where he served as the pioneer MD/EIC, before being appointed as the ED, special duties of the Sun Newspaper.
