Tinubu Appoints New NTA Leadership, Names Pedro As DG With Bello, Din & Mohammed On Board

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a sweeping leadership change at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), appointing veteran media executive Rotimi Richard Pedro as the new director-general.

Pedro, a Lagos native, brings nearly three decades of experience in broadcasting, sports rights, and marketing communications across Africa, the UK, and the Middle East. He is also a trained entertainment and intellectual property lawyer, and holds an MSc in Investment Management and Finance from City University Business School, London.

In 1995, he founded Optima Sports Management International (OSMI), which grew into one of Africa’s top sports content providers, distributing premium events such as the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup and CAF competitions to audiences in more than 40 countries.

His portfolio also includes leadership roles at Bloomberg Television Africa and Rapid Blue Format, as well as consultancy work for FIFA, UEFA, Fremantle Media and the African Union of Broadcasters (AUB), where he played a key role in securing exclusive pan-African free-to-air media rights for all CAF competitions.

Alongside Pedro’s appointment, Tinubu named Karimah Bello from Katsina State as executive director of marketing, Stella Din from Plateau State as executive director of news, and Sophia Issa Mohammed from Adamawa State as managing director of NTA Enterprises Limited.

Industry watchers credit Pedro with building commercially viable broadcast platforms, increasing sponsorship revenues and delivering world-class content to African audiences. His appointment is seen as one of the most significant leadership shifts at NTA in years, signalling the federal government’s intent to modernise the state broadcaster and strengthen its position in a competitive media market.