The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has approved the appointment of Mr Raphael Oni, a member of the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE), as Special Assistant on Digital and Public Diplomacy.
The appointment is part of the constitution of a new media team to support effective communication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ mandate and the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government.
A statement issued by the Ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said Mr Richard Elesho was also appointed Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communications.
According to the statement, both appointees bring extensive experience in journalism, public affairs, government communication and media management.
Elesho is a graduate of Delta State University, Abraka, and Kogi State University, Anyigba. He previously served as Chief Press Secretary and Director-General, Media Affairs, to former Governors Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada of Kogi State.
Until his appointment, he was the North Central Bureau Chief of The News/PM News.
Oni, on the other hand, is a diplomatic reporting specialist with more than 15 years of experience in government communication, public diplomacy and international relations.
The statement described him as an award-winning photojournalist and diplomatic correspondent who holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Abuja.
Oni has been the Publisher of Diplomats Extra Magazine since 2013, a publication focused on diplomacy and international affairs and widely read by government ministries, departments and agencies, embassies and other stakeholders.
He has also served two terms as Secretary-General of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN) and previously served as Secretary-General of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Correspondents Chapel, Abuja.
The Ministry called for the support of the new appointees and expressed confidence in a cordial working relationship with them.