Meet Gov. DAPO ABIODUN’s 4 Media Handlers

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, is one of the State Chief Executives in Nigeria whose activities are not hidden from his people as they are well reported on social media, national television and newspapers. This is because he has 4 experienced media gurus who work tirelessly to ensure that the media in Ogun state do not suffer any black out when it comes to any information about the Governor.

The media personnel have been in the media for a long time and they have been the Governor’s loyalists, but they are good at what they do. The state does not have a Commissioner for Information, but has a Chief  Press Secretary. Kunle Somorin is the Chief Press Secretary.

Emmanuel Ojo otherwise known as SF Ojo is the Senior Special Adviser on New Age Media, while Damilola Ogunpola, popularly called Damochee, and Wale Adedayo otherwise known as Babalawo are the two Media Consultants to the Governor in this report, BUNMI MUSTAPHA unveils the 4 men behind Governor Abiodun’s media.

KUNLE SOMORIN

Sunday Olakunle Somorin is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun. His appointment was among the first the governor made not long after he resumed office. It is no news that the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun does not have a commissioner for Information, but Kunle Somorin has been playing that role and there is no doubt that he is good at it as a media guru with wide experiences, at home and abroad.

He is Currently pursuing his PhD in Communications at the University of Technology, Sydney Australia, Somorin holds a B.Ed. (Hons) degree in English from the University of Port Harcourt and a Masters Degree in International Affairs & Diplomacy from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaira.

The Ogun State Chief Press Secretary is an experienced editor with a rich work history in the media industry. A former London Bureau Chief of Thisday Newspapers, Somorin is skilled in editing, public speaking, journalism, and strategic communications.

 He is a strong media and communication professional, who has worked as the Director General (Research & Public Communications), Governor’s Office, Niger State (2012-2015) and as Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives (2003-2007). Born on the 7th of May,1967, Kunle Somorin is from Obafemi/Owode Local Government area of Ogun State. Until his appointment, Somorin served as the Editor-in-Chief, Africa Resource Centre (ARC) at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library.

EMMANUEL OJO

Emmanuel Ojo popularly known as SF is the Senior Special Adviser to Governor Abiodun on New Media, He played a key and vital role in Dapo Abiodun’s media team during the campaign. Since he took up the portfolio, he has stopped at nothing to make sure the good work of the Dapo Abiodun-led government is not in obscurity in the media especially the social media, as the Senior Special Adviser on New Media is role can be clearly verified on all social media platforms. Emmanuel Adediran Ojo is a New Media expert with specialties in New Media Analytics and Digital Marketing. His extensive experience spans over nine (9) years. He hails from Imeko, in Imeko Afon Local Government area of Ogun State.

 A seasoned professional in the development and deployment of Digital Media engagement, Emmanuel Ojo has extensive knowledge of new media trends, tools and analytic platforms and he often deploy same in strategic communication, monitoring, reporting and analysis.

Ojo was the Head of New Media department at Infostrategy Limited, a communications company that executed the landmark achievement recorded in African Independent Television – AIT’s New Media Department. He moved on from AIT to set up his Online Perception Management Outfit. In his private practice, he has handled the online perception management of three different gubernatorial contests among several other political new media engagements. He has also undertaken other professional new media projects, including the overhauling the new media platforms of Focus Nigeria, a flagship programme on AIT then anchored by veteran broadcaster, Gbenga Aruleba.

 Earlier on in his career as an intern at Lead Resources Limited, he was part of the media intervention team on National Identity Number (NIN) public sensitisation project in 2013/2014 on behalf of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

SF Ojo Emmanuel has a strong pulse and presence on the digital and social media landscape. This unique skill facilitates his significant ability in tracking, monitoring, and analysing public and personal reputation in a unique form. In his career so far, he has worked with different online groups. He is a resourceful and savvy online specialist who is not only able to oversee various social media channels, but is also able to contribute to their daily content offering and audience conversion.  He is a thoroughbred perception smanager with proven skills in Public and Political Communication especially on the Ogun State political terrain. He once served as a member of PDP Presidential Online Media team in 2015.

Ojo holds a Higher National  Diploma in Business Administration and Management Studies from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta. He also bagged a Second Class Upper division Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in Business Management from Crescent University, Abeokuta. He has attended various Business development Workshops across the country and beyond.

Emmanuel has participated in different online trainings and certification programmes on New Media and its application in the 21st Century businesses and sociopolitical environment. He has also attended Junior Chamber International (JCI) Personal and Leadership trainings within and outside Nigeria. He is a member of Institute of Planning, Nigeria.

Emmanuel Ojo is a recipient of 17 Awards of recognition from various social and professional bodies. In 2013, he was invited into the Junior Chamber International, Nigeria (JCIN) Noble House as a JCIN Ambassador.  Until his appointment, he was the Assistant Media Director for Dapo Abiodun Campaign Organization – DACO and also served as the Secretary, Media and Publicity Sub Committee of the Inauguration Ceremony. Now, he is in charge of all the online media activities of Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Executive Governor of Ogun State. 

DAMILOLA OGUNPOLA

Damilola Ogunpola popularly called Damochee is a Media Consultant to Governor Dapo Abiodun, who is good at what he does. A graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University, he was a two term Personal Assistant on Media to Governor Ibikunle Amosun, but he didn’t finish the second term with the former Governor as he resigned over an allegation that he was working underground for a popular gubernatorial candidate, Senator Olamilekan Adeola otherwise known as Yayi. The issue caused a lot of uproar in the state that he was off the scene for a while. Damochee is, no doubt good at what he does when it comes to media which he handled successfully while he was a former Governor Ampsun’s aide, this explains why he was brought back to serve the new government of Prince Dapo Abiodun as a Media Consultant. Since then he has been playing a huge role in Governor Abiodun’s media team.

Damilola is the son of a Chief George Akinola Ogunpola. He was born in Abeokuta in the year 1982, he is from Ajegunle in Ewekoro LGA. According to him, politics is a thing that runs in his blood. As a two-year-old boy, his mum did take him to see his dad when he was locked up in Kirikiri Maximum prison by the General Muhammadu Buhari government of 1984.  As he grew older, his father took him along to high profile political meetings despite his very young age. He met politicians like Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande right in their house. In 1995, he met former President Olusegun Obasanjo too and he was also present when he was discussing his Presidential ambition in 1999 with his dad. He took a major decision to go into politics in 1995 when his dad was arrested by the Abacha govt. He was just in JS3 when Abacha’s goons came to arrest his dad.

His first political meeting with a sitting governor was with Akinrogun Osoba in 2002. He went along with his dad and when his dad asked me to excuse them, Akinrogun Osoba himself asked him to stay. He has learnt so much in politics till he got appointed by Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

WALE ADEDAYO

A former Political Editor of The Punch Newspaper, Wale Adedayo, was appointed by Prince Dapo Abiodun a few months ago as his Media Consultant, Wale Adedayo was also a former Chief Press Secretary to a former Governor, Gbenga Daniel.

He was born Adewale Saliu Adedayo on Thursday, 14 April, on Mechlin Street, Montserrado County, Monrovia, Liberia to the late Alhaji Ambali Adedayo Yusuf and Alhaja Muibat Aina Yusuf both from Okeliwo, Oke Ife in Ijebu Ife. His paternal grandmother, Mr. Fadekemi Yusuf, was from Ikija (her dad was a Dagbaluja family member) and Mewuro (her mum) in Ijebu North-East Local Government area. My maternal grandmother, Mrs Ayisatu Adeeko (nee Olowojoyemeji), has her maternal roots in Isewo, Ijebu Imushin. But her dad, was from Timorowo, Oke Ife, Ijebu Ife.

After the family’s return to Nigeria, I had my first taste of education up to First School Leaving Certificate level at Oke Ife Baptist Primary School, Ibelu. My secondary school education was in Lagos: Zumratul Islamiyyah Grammar School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu and Gaskiya College II, Badia, Ijora, Lagos.

A journalist, an author and Political Consultant. He holds an MA (Journalism Studies, 1998) from Cardiff University, Wales, UK and a BSc (Zoology, 1990) from Ogun State University.

He was Chairman, Guardian Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists (1996 – 1997) as a Foreign Affairs Reporter with The Guardian newspaper in Lagos (April 1992 – October 1997). He was also a London Correspondent, Concord newspapers (August 1998 – April 1999); The PUNCH (Assistant Political Editor, May 2000); Assistant Editor, The PUNCH (January 2001 – November 2004); Director of Organisation & Publicity, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ogun State, (December 2004 – May 2007); Consultant to the Ogun State Governor on Communications (March 2005 – May 2007); and Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Ogun State Governor (June 2007 – January 2009).