Aliagan wins second-term election as NGIJ president

Mallam Abdulrahman Aliagan has been reelected as the President of the Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists (NGIJ) for the second term.

The Chairman of the 2026 NGIJ Electoral Committee, Mr Lateef Owodunni, while announcing results of the poll, said that 47 eligible voters were accredited.

Aliagan, who previously served as the General Secretary, polled 24 votes to defeat Bolaji Israel who garnered 23 votes in a keenly contested election held virtually on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Other executive members elected include Oyelola Oyewale (Vice President Information and Administration), Comrade James Ezema (Vice President, Investigation), Rowland Shuwa (General Secretary) and Kehinde Adeleye (Public Relations Officer).

NGIJ Executive Profile:

Mallam AbdulRahman Aliagan holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Ilorin, a Diploma in Common Law from CAILS (affiliated with Bayero University Kano), and an Advanced Certificate in Journalism, Public Relations, and Advertising from the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), Abuja.

Rowland Shuwa holds a degree in Linguistics from the University of Ilorin and a Postgraduate Diploma from the International Institute of Journalism, Abuja. He is the Editor of News Hub Mag and currently serves as Press Secretary of the Kwara State Geographic Information Service (KWGIS). Rowland previously served as State Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Kwara State Chapter.

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Oyewale Oyelola previously served as the Guild’s Registrar before his election as Vice President ( Information and Administration) in 2024. He holds a degree and a master’s in Mass Communication from Kwara State University, Malete. Oyelola, who earned Postgraduate Diploma in History and International Relations from Lagos State University is the Managing Editor of FactualTimes and Lecturer at the department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti.

Comrade James Ezema studied Political Science at the University of Ibadan. He previously worked with Vanguard Newspaper, Nigerian Compass Newspaper and Newswatch Group before founding The Street Reporters Newspaper in 2015. Later in 2019, Comrade James launched specialised printed Abuja Business Reports (Print/Online).

Kehinde Adeleye is a media professional, public relations and Publisher of EaglesPath Online NG. He graduated from the Economics Education Department, University of Ilorin. He has worked with notable organisations including GistIsland, Echonews, and Lifted Horizon, a UK-based firm where he served as an Editor.