Veteran media executive Rotimi Richard Pedro has been appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu the new Director General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).
Other key appointments include Karimah Bello as Executive Director of Marketing, Stella Din as Executive Director of News, and Sophia Essahmed as Managing Director of NTA Enterprises Limited.
Pedro, a Lagos native, is an accomplished media entrepreneur and consultant with nearly three decades of leadership experience in broadcasting, sports rights, and marketing communications across Africa, the UK, and the Middle East.
A trained entertainment and intellectual property lawyer, he also holds an MSc in Investment Management & Finance from City University Business School, London. In 1995, he founded Optima Sports Management International (OSMI), which became one of Africa’s leading sports content providers, distributing premium events such as the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, and CAF competitions to audiences in more than 40 countries.
His career includes leading roles at Bloomberg Television Africa, Rapid Blue Format, and consultancy work for FIFA, UEFA, Fremantle Media, and the African Union of Broadcasters. Notably, he helped the AUB secure exclusive pan-African free-to-air media rights for all CAF competitions.
Industry analysts credit Pedro with building commercially viable broadcast platforms, boosting sponsorship revenues, and delivering world-class content to African audiences.
His appointment marks one of the most significant leadership changes at NTA in recent years and signals the Federal Government’s intention to modernise the broadcaster and reposition it in an increasingly competitive media market.
