ACOE Member Raphael Oni Gets Foreign Affairs Ministry Appointment

By Queen Kunde

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed veteran diplomatic journalist Raphael Oni as Special Assistant to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on Digital and Public Diplomacy.

Oni is part of a new media team approved by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, to strengthen the ministry’s communication and public engagement.

Also appointed is Richard Elesho, who will serve as Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communications.

The two appointments are expected to boost the ministry’s media operations and help communicate its mandate and the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda more effectively.

Oni who is currently a member of the Association of Corporate Online Editors, ACOE, brings more than 15 years of experience in journalism, government communication, public diplomacy and international relations to his new role.

An award-winning photojournalist and diplomatic correspondent, he holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Abuja.

He has been the Publisher of Diplomats Extra Magazine since 2013, a publication focused on diplomacy and international affairs with a readership that includes government ministries, departments and agencies, embassies and other stakeholders.

Oni has also served two terms as Secretary General of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN) and as Secretary General of the NUJ Correspondents Chapel, Abuja.

Elesho, on his part, is a graduate of Delta State University, Abraka, and Kogi State University, Anyigba. He previously served as Chief Press Secretary/Director General, Media Affairs, to former Kogi State Governors Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada.

Before his latest appointment, Elesho was the North Central Bureau Chief of The News/PM News.

The ministry said both appointees bring extensive experience in journalism, public affairs, government communication and media management.

Their appointments are expected to strengthen the ministry’s public communication and digital diplomacy efforts at a time when effective communication remains central to Nigeria’s engagement with the international community.