Minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, has appointed Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi as her special adviser on media and communications.
Abdullahi, whose appointment took effect from September 1 2019, is a civil servant, journalist, and photographer with specialisation in media and communications management in both private and public sectors.
He is to report to the minister and also serve as a member of the senior management team in the ministry with the responsibility for, among others, strategically managing the ministry’s media and communications for both internal and external publics.
A graduate of English from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Abdullahi holds a Master’s in English from the University of Lagos. He began his civil service career as producer on NTA-2 Ch 5, Lagos, producing NTA-2’s flagship programmes ‘Morning Ride’ and ‘Mastersports’. Abdullahi also produced the documentary that won Nigeria the right to host the All African Games in 2003 and the Lamido of Adamawa’s 50th anniversary on the throne.
Between 2004 and 2006, Abdullahi reported for Deustche Welle English service, Cologne Germany. He left NTA-2 Ch 5 in 2006 to head the Corporate Affairs Department of the National Film and Video Censors Board. He also served as the zonal coordinator, North West, of NFVCB, with office in Kano State, with the responsibility to expand the organisation’s profile in the North West of Nigeria.
He was appointed deputy director news and special assistant to the director-general of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in November 2013. He was later transferred to the Kaduna zonal office as head of News and Current Affairs in May 2017.
Until his appointment, Abdullahi, who has more than 27 years of experience in project management, was director, academic planning at the National Broadcast Academy, FRCN Lagos.
He was the first Nigerian to coordinate the American International Emmy Award Semi Final event in Abuja in July 2011.
Abdullahi was a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Elections Monitoring Team to Mali in 2013, and also served as one of the chief strategists for NFVCB Roadshow to promote Nollywood around the world. He was chief photographer, Nigeria/Morocco Businesswomen Forum, Marrakech, Morocco.
Abdullahi was editor-at-large at www.thecable.ng and chief photographer for the French Institute, Nigeria for the project ‘Et En plus Jena Parle Francais’, meaning ‘I speak French too’.
Abdullahi has Certificate in Corporate Affairs Management from Lagos Business School (LBS) and Certificate in Computer Appreciation from Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON). He is associate member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). Abdullahi has Certificate in Public Relations from Nigerian Institute of Management, and he is a member of Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), London. He has Certificate in Writing for the Press and Certificate in Brand Marketing in Public Relations Campaigns both from the CIPR, London. He also has several certificates in photography.
Onyinye Nwachukwu, Abuja
