The Management of LEADERSHIP has approved the appointments of Martin Ayankola and Olusola Fabiyi as new editors, effective July 1, 2025.
A statement by the company said Martin Ayankola will serve as the editor of the flagship title, LEADERSHIP, while Olusola Fabiyi will edit the weeklies, LEADERSHIP Weekend and LEADERSHIP Sunday.
According to a statement signed by the group managing director of LEADERSHIP, Alhaji Muazu Elazeh, the appointment of the new editors is part of the moves to reorganise the newspaper.
Elazeh said the changes were part of the restructuring exercise in LEADERSHIP’s editorial division.
“The new appointments demonstrate a renewed push to reposition LEADERSHIP and reassert its standing as Nigeria’s most influential newspaper. It also signals a new drive for digital transformation and investigative journalism.
“The new editors are expected to use their decades of newsroom experience to strengthen the country’s number one brand. Ayankola and Fabiyi join with over forty years of combined experience in the newsroom. They are suited to steer the newsroom into its new chapter,” Elazeh added.
Ayankola replaces Mr. Peter Ekele, who stepped down last month after working at LEADERSHIP for 15 years, where he served in various capacities, including online editor, group news editor, and editor of LEADERSHIP from 2020 to June 2025.
The Editor-in-Chief, Azu Ishiekwene, said, “The next phase in the company’s growth and development will combine talent and technology, especially artificial intelligence, to consolidate its leadership across all its platforms.”
Before his new role, Ayankola served as editor-in-chief at Whistler Newspaper. He began his journalism career at the Nigerian Tribune in 1993 and rose to the position of Lagos Bureau Chief before leaving the organisation in 2008.
He joined BusinessDay in 2008 as deputy energy editor and left the paper for The PUNCH in 2009.
At The PUNCH, he was head of the Energy Desk and, in 2011, was promoted to group business editor. On January 3, 2013, he became the editor of The PUNCH, a position he held for six and a half years. During his tenure, he won seven Editor-of-the-Year awards. He left the paper in July 2019.
Ayankola holds the Nigerian Institute of Journalism’s Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism and a Bachelor’s degree in History and Sociology from the Obafemi Awolowo University.
Olusola Fabiyi is an award-winning journalist, editor and media strategist with over two decades of experience in print journalism. He has held several key leadership roles at The PUNCH, including editor of weekend titles, deputy editor, and bureau chief.
Fabiyi’s expertise spans content strategy, investigative reporting, editorial direction, and team development, supported by deep proficiency in digital publishing and SEO best practices.
He has received multiple accolades, including Best Manager of the Year and the High Contributing Editor Award during PUNCH’s 50th anniversary. He has also received the DAME Award for Editorial Integrity and the NMMA Features Writer of the Year award.
Fabiyi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from the University of Ilorin and a Diploma in Journalism from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism.
His awards include Best Manager of the Year, PUNCH Nigeria Limited (2023); High Contributing Editor Award, PUNCH 50th Anniversary (2024); Editorial Integrity, DAME Awards (2009); Features Writer of the Year, NMMA (2008).
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