Persecondnews announces appointment of Prof. Taye Babaleye as Editorial Board member

Prof. Samuel Taye Babaleye, a professor of Mass Communication, at Lead City University, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, has been appointed to the Editorial Board of Persecondnews, a digital news platform headquartered in Abuja, the federal capital.

Babaleye, a consummate international public relations specialist and journalist with flair for agriculture and environmental reporting, is to take his seat on the board with effect from April 2, 2024.

A statement by the management, signed by Mr. Ayodele Akinsola, the Managing Director of PSN, released in Abuja on Tuesday, April 2, said the Executive Board and the Publisher have approved the appointment of Prof. Babaleye.

It congratulated the professor and expressed optimism that the distinguished scholar and mass communication expert would bring his wealth of experience to bear on the operations of the media outfit established in 2014.

Babaleye is a member of the Senate at Lead City University, teaching and researching as a specialist in public relations and advertising from the Nigerian perspective since September 2019 to date.

He was Associate Professor and Head of Department (HOD), Media and Communication Studies, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Nigeria, from May 2015 to December 2018 and also a member of the Senate.

He published the second edition of a PR text book: Principles and Practice of Public Relations: A Handbook of PR for Nigerian Students, in July 2018 and coordinated the MSc and Ph.D. Mass Communication programs.

His career trajectory includes being a senior lecturer and head of the Department of Mass Communication at Adeleke University (AU), Ede, Osun State, Nigeria, from January 2013 to February 2015, and a member of the Senate. Coordinated the provision and managed both radio and television studios for training broadcasting.
His applied communication experiences are the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan; Nigerian Tribune newspaper; and the Ondo State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), Oba-Ile, Akure (1978–2007).

At IITA, Ibadan, he was Public Information Manager and Head of Public Affairs between 1984 and 2007. He published “A Guide to Public Relations Practice in Agricultural Research” in 2005. He initiated and promoted the Media Forum for Agriculture (MFA), an association of agricultural and science journalists, to enhance effective coverage of agricultural research and allied institutions in Nigeria to create public awareness on agricultural, scientific, and environmental news reporting in sub-Saharan Africa. Published four series of books, Media Forum for Agriculture (1990–2005).

With funding support from international donor agencies, the MFA was a platform for training and retraining Nigerian journalists within and outside Nigeria in the art and science of agricultural news reporting.

Under the IITA/USAID Agricultural Biotechnology Awareness Platform, he initiated and managed local and international agricultural communication training support for African journalists in Cotonou, Benin Republic; Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire; Accra, Ghana; Nairobi, Kenya; and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, and in the USA.

Published articles in local and foreign newspapers and magazines. Babaleye also organized international and local conferences, seminars, and workshops for the capacity-building of agricultural communication specialists. Produced brochures, newsletters, weekly bulletins, A-V presentations, and video clips on African food security challenges and solutions.

Babaleye was a columnist at Business Day, a Nigerian business-specialised newspaper (2000–2006). Features Editor (Nigerian Tribune, 1983) and Principal Editor, Ondo State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), Akure (1979–1983).

Prof. Babaleye’s excellent team leadership qualities include being flexible, leading by example, versatile, affable, and having a good sense of humor, as well as excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French with extensive cross-cultural experience. He is widely traveled, particularly in Africa.