An author of a biography about the PM took his place
The Board of Walta Media, under the chairmanship of Tesfaye Beljige, government whip in the Parliament, removes Nigussie Meshesha from his role as a chief executive officer of the state-affiliated media run by the ruling party.
Nigussie was among the fresh faces in the party-run firms recruited immediately after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) became head of the government. Along with Fana Broadcasting, Walta Media and Communication Corporate S.C. is among the big media firms that are under the ownership of the ruling party.
Both used to be held by four coalition parties of the defunct Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which was later replaced by the Prosperity Party a year after the new administration gained office in April 2018.
Nigussie has confirmed to The Reporter that he has already been removed from his leadership position.
“I believe I have contributed a lot for the betterment of the media company in my three years and seven months of tenure,” noted Nigussie, who is also an Associate Professor of Journalism and Communication at Addis Ababa University.
Mohammed Hassen, the author of Sewyew, a book on the life of Abiy, was appointed in his place. Mohammed, who has a degree in journalism from Addis Ababa University, has previously worked at Addis Zemen Newspaper and served Radio Fana as Editor-in-Chief.
The new CEO has also been working as a blogger and digital journalist for the past eight years on Facebook, YouTube, and Telegram for a page named “Yehasab Meda,” which he founded himself.
Mohammad wrote a book named “Sewyew,” authoring his five-year stay with Abiy. In the book, he analyzes the life of the PM before he came to office.
The Reporter was informed by sources at Walta that the newly appointed CEO has already started working at the media organization.
There was no success in determining the reason why Nigussie was fired despite The Reporter’s best efforts. However, insiders told The Reporter that his relationship with the ruling party’s top leadership has deteriorated recently for unknown reasons.
