Ahead of its 20th anniversary, the International Press Centre (IPC) has announced the reconstitution of its Governing Board.
The announcement was contained in a statement by the Executive Director and Secretary to the Board, Lanre Arogundade, at the end of the organisation’s board meeting and annual staff/management retreat held in Lagos recently.
Arogundade said the three new members of the Board bring its total number to six. The three new members are Victoria Ibanga, Funke-Treasure Durodola and Gbemiga Ogunleye.
According to the statement, Ibanga, a seasoned journalist, is a former Visiting Fellow of Freedom House in the United States and Alumna of Women’s Edition, PRB, USA. She is a former General Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, current National Treasurer of the body and the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Next Edition Online newspaper.
Funke-Treasure Durodola, a multiple award winning international broadcast journalist, is a seasoned news anchor, producer and presenter, media trainer and Fellow of the Thomson Foundation, UK.
She is author of ‘Pronunciation Guide for Second Language Speakers of the English Language’ and until her recent retirement, Assistant Director of Programmes at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Lagos Operations;
Ogunleye is a lawyer, seasoned journalist and Editor. He is a former Editor and Deputy Editor-In-Chief of Punch Newspapers and a former Director of News and Current Affairs at Television Continental, TVC.
He was the pioneer Head of Corporate Communications of Arik Air and a former Vice President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. Ogunleye is the current Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Nigeria’s leading journalism training institution.
Arogundade also stated that Edetaen Ojo and Wale Adeoye who are already members of the board retain their positions on the Board as Chairman and member respectively, while Senator BabafemiOjudu, journalist, human rights activist and one of the founding Editors of The News Magazine and Special Assistant to the President on Political Affairs, voluntarily stepped down as a member on the account of his current political engagements.
“The scholarly, intellectual, professional and gender diversity of the new Board demonstrate the commitment and readiness of IPC to continue to deliver on its mandate as Nigeria’s leading media development and press freedom organisation”, Arogundade said.
“We are also sure that given their vast experience and commitment to media professionalism, the board members will add value to our work in the areas of capacity building, media monitoring, campaigns, advocacy, networking and partnerships to advance the course of media freedom, media independence, safety of journalists and enhance the role of the media in development and democratic governance”, he added
According to him, the board members would be publicly presented during the forthcoming public lecture and airing of a documentary as part of a series of activities to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of IPC, the details of which will be announced soon.
