PUNCH removes editors, announces replacements in management-level shake-up

The management of Punch Nigeria Limited, the publisher of PUNCH online and newspaper titles, has removed its two title editors, their deputies and key managers in a shake-up that targeted high-level employees of the leading Nigerian independent media organisation.

The Editor of the daily title, The PUNCH, Adedayo Oketola, and the Editor of PUNCH Weekend Titles, Olusola Fabiyi, were asked to resign on Friday.

Similarly, the company asked the Deputy Editor of The PUNCH, Olaniyi Odebode, to resign.

However, it redeployed the Deputy Editor, Weekend Titles, Yusuff Moshood, to PUNCH Digital, the company in charge of its digital platforms, as Deputy Editor.

Others who also received such directives outside the Editorial Division of the organisation were the Controller, Business and Finance, Bayode Olukotun; General Manager, Corporate Services, Olufolakemi Gbemuotor; and the Chief Accountant, Michael Adegbola, PREMIUM TIMES gathered.

While the affected editors were asked to give one-month notice in their resignation letters, the affected top admin and finance officials were asked to give a three-month exit notice.

The company announced the decision to force the senior members of staff to resign on Friday based on a resolution of the company’s board.

The forced resignations came about a year ahead of the affected personnel’s retirement age or end of tenures.

For instance, one of the affected senior managers, Mrs Gbemuotor, was due for retirement next year after putting in 34 years as an employee.

The two title editors, Messrs Oketola and Fabiyi, who were appointed for a three-year renewable tenure each in March 2022, were, by their appointment dates, expected to have till early next year to complete their terms in office.

Some journalists at the organisation expressed surprise at the disengagement of the two editors, referencing the accolades the duo have received from within and outside the company in the last few months.

The journalists who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES asking to be anonymous to discuss the sensitive organisational issue cited the recent feats achieved by the editors and celebrated by the company.

For instance, Mr Oketola emerged as the Editor of the Year, and led The PUNCH to win the Newspaper of the Year prize at the last edition of the Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA) in December 2023.

For his part, Mr Fabiyi was named by the company as the best manager, and a cash prize award was given to him for his sterling performance.

The company counted no offences against the affected editors to shorten their tenures, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

In fact, in a publication it posted on its website announcing the shake-up in the leadership of the editorial division on Saturday, the company acknowledged “their positive contributions to the company’s strategic objectives”.

It also acknowledged the contributions of Mr Odebode, the outgoing Deputy Editor, The PUNCH, who served in various capacities at the organisation during his 31-year stint.

However, PUNCH was silent on the non-editorial managers affected by what it said was “part of a recent restructuring exercise across the company’s divisions”.

New editors

In the changes announced by the management, the Business Editor of The PUNCH, Oyetunji Abioye, was appointed the new editor of The PUNCH, in acting capacity.

The company also announced Samson Folarin, the Features Editor of the paper’s Weekend Titles (Saturday PUNCH & Sunday PUNCH) as acting Editor, Weekend Titles.

The outgoing editor of The PUNCH, Mr Oketola, and Editor of the newspaper’s Weekend Titles, Mr Fabiyi, will hand over to their successors on Monday, 22 July 2024.

The company also approved the appointment of the Editor, PUNCH SportsExtra, ‘Tana Aiyejina, as the successor of Olaniyi Odebode, the Deputy Editor, The PUNCH, in acting capacity.

The company acknowledged the contributions of Mr Odebode, who served in various capacities in PUNCH during his 31-year stint, and wished him well.

Tessy Igomu, the current Editor, Healthwise, is to take over from Yusuff Moshood as the Deputy Editor, Weekend Titles, in acting capacity. Mr Moshood was redeployed to PUNCH Digital as the Deputy Editor.

According to the statement, the newly appointed acting editor of The PUNCH, Mr Abioye pledged to continue to uphold PUNCH’s time-tested journalistic and corporate values.

The newspaper’s publication on its website quoted Mr Abioye as expressing confidence that the values would enable him to effectively harness the opportunities presented by the current challenges in the media industry.

Mr Abioye, a graduate of Economics from Babcock University, joined PUNCH in 2007. He rose through the ranks, getting appointed as the Group Business Editor of The PUNCH in 2021.

Mr Folarin, the new acting editor of the Weekend Titles (Saturday PUNCH & Sunday PUNCH), is a graduate of Mass Communication of the University of Lagos who joined PUNCH as a correspondent in 2013.

“This is definitely a huge task, but I pledge to apply myself to the job to ensure that PUNCH’s ascendancy in the media industry is sustained,” he said of his appointment.

Also, the current online editor, Olalekan Adetayo, was redesignated the Editor, PUNCH Digital, the restructured digital operations unit that incorporates all of PUNCH’s digital publications.

A 2008 graduate of Journalism of the Lagos State University, Adetayo joined PUNCH in 2001 as a reporter.

Mr Aiyejina is a graduate of English of the Ambrose Alli University and the pioneer Editor of the PUNCH Group’s sports title. He joined PUNCH in 2008 as a correspondent.

Mrs Igomu, a graduate of Mass Communication of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, joined PUNCH as a Chief Correspondent in 2020.

Mr Moshood, a holder of a Master’s in Public Administration from Lagos State University, joined PUNCH in 2020 as a Sub-Assistant Editor in the Online Department.