On Friday, the All Progressives
Congress (APC) announced Lanre Issa-Onilu as its new national publicity
secretary, taking over from Yekini Nabena who had been in acting capacity since
Bolaji Abdullahi left the party.
Issa-Onilu’s appointment was ratified
at the party’s national working committee (NWC) in Abuja on Friday.
He ran for the position at the
party’s elective convention that held in June but lost to Bolaji Abdullahi.
Abdullahi later resigned from the position and defected to the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP).
They are both from Kwara state.
The new spokesman was said to
have been backed by President Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, a national
leader of the party, at the convention but however he lost, coming second.
Yekini Nabena was appointed
acting national publicity secretary after Abdullahi resigned on August 1.
Issa-Onilu has worked as
journalist for 15 years and is a specialist in strategic public communications
planning.
The new spokesman is a graduate
of mass communication from the University of Lagos and holds a master’s in
integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University, US.
He was an assistant editor of
Sunday ThisDay. Before he joined ThisDay, he was news editor at the Comet
Newspapers.
Issa-Onilu is a corporate member
of the International Communications Conference (ICC) at the Baruch College
Ssate university of New York, US. He is also an associate member of the
Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and an associate member of
the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
He has written many papers on
crisis communication and public communication among other topics.
The new APC image maker is a
specialist in strategic public communications planning, with years of
experience in corporate and political communications as well as policy analysis
and development issues.
What else do we know about the
man that would handle the party’s image as it strategises for the 2019 polls?
US-TRAINED SCHOLAR
Issa-Onilu studied mass
communication at the University of Lagos, after which he proceeded to obtain an
MS Certificate in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia
University in the US.
He also studied at New York
University where he took courses in advanced public relations and media
audience research.
He has also attended several
seminars and conferences in the US and UK, including at the prestigious World
Advertising Research Council (WARC) in London, UK.
 |
| Standing right behind President Buhari on a visit to Aso Rock |
PUBLIC RELATIONS EXPERT
The new APC spokesman also has
years of public relations practice to his name — surely would come in handy
while taking charge of communications at the ruling.
He is an associate member of the
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and member of the Public Relations
Society of New York.
He is also a corporate member of
the International Communications Conference (ICC) at the Baruch College, State
University of New York, and is also an associate member of the Advertising
Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON).
SEASONED JOURNALIST
Issa-Onilu has worked variously
as a media relations executive and journalist for up to 15 years and, according
to his professional bio data, he also has experience spanning over 13 years
working as a policy and development issues strategist, public perception
analyst and communication planner.
He joined the Comet Newspapers in
Lagos as a news editor and — just like the current spokesman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) — worked at THISDAY newspapers, as an assistant editor
(Sunday) and later group politics editor.
He also worked for the World
Investment News (Winne), France, for the production of a special report on
Nigeria’s democratisation process, published in the June 1999 edition of Forbes
International Business magazine.
 |
| Issa-Onilu recently scored hole-in-one on Hole 8 Green at the IBB Golf Club, Abuja. Spot the man with the club |
PUBLIC LECTURER
Issa-Onilu has written many
papers and delivered lectures on public communication, crisis communication and
reputation management as well as integrated marketing communications.
He also delivered a paper on ‘How
to prepare a marketing plan’ at similar workshop in 2008.
Outside the shores of Nigeria, he
has also spoken at various lectures and conferences regarding communications
and public relations, including at the Baruch College, State University of New
York, US, where he spoke on crisis communication and reputation management,
before an international audience.
ARSENAL FAN
The new APC image maker is a
supporter of Arsenal Football Club in the English Premier League. He is also an
amateur golfer. His hobbies include reading and travelling.
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