Updated: Jimoh Ibrahim appoints politician as MD of National Mirror

The Publisher of National Mirror, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, has appointed a female politician, Kafilat Ogbara, as the Managing Director of the newspaper.
This was after several professional journalists approached by Ibrahim turned down the offer to oversee the newspaper owing to what they described as the brash administrative style of the lawyer.
Ogbara, who twice failed in her bid to emerge as the representative of Kosofe Federal Constituency, Lagos State in the House of Representatives, is to replace Steve Ayorinde, who resigned about two months ago.
Sources within the newspaper told The Eagle Online that the politician, whose only credential in the media remains being a marketer with the Nigeria Television Authority 10 years ago, has been introduced by Ibrahim to the few management staff left in the company.
She is expected to resume officially on Monday.
None of the Editors will report to her as was the case in the past under the three former professional journalists who were Managing Directors.
Her predecessors were Bola Onanuga, Abiodun Raufu and Ayorinde.
The Editors under Ogbara are autonomous and are expected to report directly to Ibrahim.
Ogbara’s main job is to “bring businesses to the fast haemorrhaging newspaper,” as an inside source told The Eagle Online.
Her last known appointment on the political scene was as Special Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.
During her tenure as Adesina’s SA and while on official duty, she was involved in a fire accident that necessitated her treatment in Sweden.
Meanwhile, since the exit of Ayorinde and the former Daily Editor of the newspaper, Bolaji Tunji, several management and key editorial staff have quit the company.
More than half of the key editorial staff have left National Mirror and Daily Newswatch, Ibrahim’s other publication.
On Christmas eve, three out of the nine award winning journalists in National Mirror resigned.
Ibrahim had promised them a return ticket to London.
“And in his charsteristic manner, he failed to fulfil his promise to the staff,” a source informed.
But perhaps the most devastating to Ibrahim among the latest resignations was that of the Head of Audit, Demola Ishola, a source revealed.
Ishola, who had worked in National Mirror for four years, was moved by Ibrahim to Daily Newswatch before he resigned.
He is now with the New Telegraph, a newspaper owned by a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu.
Some other key staff said to have resigned of recent included the Head of the Arts Desk, Denrele Niyi, and the Head of Graphics, Frank Oboh.