By Mufutau Ojo
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is set to reopen its foreign bureaus in Johannesburg, Addis Ababa and Abidjan.
The move, according to the Agency’s Managing Director, Mr Buki Ponle, followed high-level consultations by the management of the Agency with the relevant government institutions and the Nigerian embassies in South Africa, Ethiopia and Cote d’Ivoire.
The Agency, which currently has a functional bureau in New York, is the country’s largest content provider and national purveyor of information, with 36 state offices and several district offices.
To leverage its octopoid reach, NAN also has news exchange partnerships with leading international wire agencies such as Reuters (United Kingdom), Deutsche Presse-Agentur (Germany), Xinhua (China) and Sputnik (Russia).
Others are Yonhap (South Korea), Asian News International (India), Anadolu (Turkey) and BTA (Bulgaria).
The Agency is also planning to increase its zonal offices from the present six to 12.
Ponle said the 12-zone structure is part of the ongoing initiatives to strengthen the Agency’s editorial effectiveness and marketing operations as well as further boost its visibility across the country.
The new-look structure now has Ibadan Zone with Oyo, Ogun and Kwara as component states while Akure Zone has Ondo, Ekiti and Osun.
Enugu Zone has Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi states while Port Harcourt Zone has Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River with Owerri Zone comprising Imo and Abia.
Asaba Zone has Delta, Edo and Bayelsa while Jos Zone has Plateau, Benue and Taraba with Minna Zone comprising Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi.
Bauchi Zone has Bauchi, Gombe and Jigawa while Maiduguri Zone has Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
Kaduna Zone is made up of Kaduna, Kano and Katsina while Sokoto Zone comprises Sokoto, Gusau and Kebbi states.
All the changes are expected to be effected in the first quarter of 2023.
NAN, which is funded wholly by the Federal Government, started operation in 1978.
