INEC Chairman Appoints Adedayo Oketola as Chief Press Secretary
Oru Leonard
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan has announced the appointment of Adedayo Oketola, an award-winning journalist and former Editor of The PUNCH newspaper, as its new Chief Press Secretary (CPS). This appointment is a significant move towards enhancing transparency and effective communication within the commission.
Oketola has received numerous awards for his contributions to journalism, including Editor of the Year at the Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA) and The Industry Awards.
– *Distinguished career*: With nearly two decades of experience in journalism, Oketola has held key editorial roles at The PUNCH, including Assistant Editor, News Editor, and Editor.
Under his leadership as Editor, the PUNCH consolidated its reputation for fearless journalism and public-interest reporting.
Oketola’s appointment is seen as a strategic move to strengthen INEC’s relationship with the media and the Nigerian public.
As CPS, Oketola is expected to enhance the commission’s information management, public communication, and engagement with stakeholders.
The appointment comes at a critical time when public confidence in electoral processes is crucial to national stability.
With his extensive experience and credibility in journalism, Adedayo Oketola’s appointment is expected to bring a new level of transparency and effectiveness to INEC’s communication strategy.
About the New CPS
The newly appointed Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Adedayo Eriye Oketola, is a multiple award-winning Nigerian journalist, author, and strategic communications expert with over two decades of high-impact experience in journalism, editorial leadership, and media innovation.
He served as Editor of The PUNCH, Nigeria’s most widely read and influential newspaper, from 2022 to 2024, leading it to consecutive Newspaper of the Year wins and earning the Editor of the Year award from the Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA) in 2023, and the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) in 2024.
He had earlier served as the Editor of PUNCH Weekend Titles for three years, the first in the 50-year history of the media group to edit both Saturday PUNCH and Sunday PUNCH simultaneously. Before then, he was Group Business Editor of The PUNCH, News Editor of The PUNCH, and News & Politics Editor of Saturday PUNCH.
His outstanding journalism across several beats — including ICT, Energy, labour, business & economy, news & politics —earned him over 15 prestigious local and international awards, fellowships, and recognitions.
He possesses B. A English (Literature) from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (2004); M.A English (Literature) from the University of Ibadan (2007); Certificate in Investigative Reporting from the New England Centre for Investigative Reporting in Boston University, Massachusetts, United States (2012); LL.B from the National Open University of Nigeria (2017); Diploma in Public Relations from the Business Education Examination Council (2021).
He is an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON); a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered), Nigerian Guild of Editors and Lions Clubs International, District 404B2 Nigeria.
Oketola is an Edward R. Murrow Fellow under the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program and currently serves as President, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Alumni Association in Nigeria.
His debut book is titled “The Catalyst: Nigerian Tech Evolution Through A Journalist’s Lens,” presented to the public in 2024.
Oketola hosted Nigeria’s first-ever Exaugural Lecture by a newspaper editor to mark his transition from editorship and 20 years of service in journalism.
