By Yakubu LAAH InvestAdvocate

Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)– Joseph Okonmah, former Head, Corporate Communications at the Dangote Group has emerged the new chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

This is contained in a Statement made available to InvestAdvocate from the NIPR Lagos State chapter.

The election is coming on the heels of the NIPR’s 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM)/PR Week.

According to the Statement, Okonmah emerged the newly elected Chairman at the end of a keenly contested election between him and two other candidates; Ken Egbas and Kunle Ogedengbe who is the outgoing Vice Chairman.

“There was no election for other positions as the contestants were unopposed. They are Comfort Nwankwo, Vice Chairman; Sheriff Akinpelu, Secretary; Silas Udoh, Treasurer; Abiodun Olatunbosun, Auditor; Prudence Onyejiaka, Assistant Secretary; Fortune Mbamalu, Financial Secretary and Kalu Olekauwa, Public Relations Executive. The position of Ex Officio is still vacant,” the Statement said.

The Statement affirmed that the election was supervised by a representative of the President of the Institute, Alhaji Mohammed Adbullahi, Chairman, Body of Fellows, Mr. Frank Tamuno Koko; a Council Member  and NIPR Coordinator, South West, Dr. Rotimi Oladele, and Dr. Alfred Edema,the Zonal Coordinator-South South Education Advisory Board, was adjudged free and fair.

Okonmah is the Managing Director (MD) of Jasek Communications Limited, an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) firm, based in Lagos. He holds BSc Degree in Political Science & Public Administration from the University of Benin, Post-Graduate Degree in Public Relations from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ,) M.Sc. Degree in Political Science and LLB Degree from the University of Lagos, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Public Policy, at the Department of Political Science, University of Lagos.

Okonmah’s work experience cuts across public and private sectors, where he was an Area Commander in Zuru (Kebbi State) and Apapa Wharf (Lagos State) Area Commands of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). In the Organized Private Sector (OPS), he made his mark as a Research Assistant at the prestigious Lagos Business School (LBS).

He was at various times the Head, Investor Relations as well as Head of Corporate Affairs, Dangote Group, where he played key role in the development of Group’s marketing communications initiatives of its three brands listed on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). He is a Pastor at Foursquare Gospel Church, Abule-Oko, Magboro and happily married with children.

Okonmah and the other elected officers are to serve for a two (2) years.