Nigeria’s Kabiru Yusuf was yesterday in Taipei, Taiwan, elected into the 24-member executive board of the International Press Institute (IPI).

The election of the Chairman, Media Trust Limited, publisher of the Kaduna Daily newspaper by the General Assembly at the ongoing World Congress of the premier global body for press freedom came as IPI hailed Nigeria’s Freedom of Information Act.

His choice follows the footsteps of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who was the first African to be elected chairman of the IPI, executive board, late Chief MKO Abiola, Alhaji Ismaila Isa , Chairman of New Africa Holdings Ltd and chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ) and, lately, Hajia Bilkisu Bintube, editor, Citizen Communications.

In his post-election speech, Yusuf, who is also chairman of the Nigerian National Committee of the IPI, pledged to represent the voice of Nigeria and Africa on the board.

Earlier, during the opening witnessed by the President of Taiwan, Mr. Ying-jeon Ma, IPI Director, Alison Bethel McKenzie, lauded the enactment of the FoI law by Nigeria as a shinning example of the good developments in the media world this year. She noted that Nigeria was only the second country after Liberia to have such a law in Africa.

The IPI Director lamented however, the killing of 47 journalists across the world this year in an orgy of repression and persecution of the media and journalists because of their work.

Nigeria has a 19-member delegation at the world congress- the country’s strongest in at least a decade and the largest after Taiwan (61) and United States (20). It ends tomorrow.

The Nigerian delegates include Yusuf, Isa, Bintube, Raheem Adedoyin, Publisher of The ICON Magazine and Secretary of of the Nigerian National Committee of IPI, Mr. Murtala Atoyebi, Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Press Council, Mr. Mike Awoyinfa, Publisher of the Express Multimedia Ltd, Mallam Garba Dnagida, publisher& managing director of Abuja-Africa Newsweek Magazine, Mr. Anthony Dara, CEO of NN24, Mal. Mohammed Haruna, Managing Director & Editor-in- Chief of Citizen Communications, Mr. Isaac Ighure, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Dimgba Igwe, Associate Publisher, Express Multimedia Ltd and Mr. Dan Iwunze, Assistant Editor-in-Chief, News Agency of Nigeria.

Other delegates are Mal Wada Maida, CEO, Finlay Communications Ltd, Mr. Louis Njemanze, Director, Nigeria Press Council, Mr. Folu Olamiti, Media Consultant, Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offence (ICPC), Mrs Vicky Olumudi, Executive Director, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Mr. Kingsley Osadolor, Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and Communications,Mal Garba Shehu, Director, People’s Media Ltd, Mr. Mike Sowe, Assistant Director of Information, ICPC.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/21025-ipi-elects-nigeria%E2%80%99s-yusuf-into-board.html