About Ismail

Comrade Ismail Omipidan, an associate member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), was born on April 3, 1975. He hails from Ila Orangun, in Osun State. He attended Army Children School, which later metamorphosed into L.G.E.D Primary School, Otukpo and later went to Saint Francis College, Otukpo and Ewulo College, Otukpo, respectively, for his secondary school education. He holds two Master's degrees and he is currently undergoing his PhD programme at the Redeemer's University, Ede.

Omipidan served as the Chief Press Secretary to His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola CON as the Governor of Osun State (2019-2022). Similarly, Omipidan had served as a Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the former Deputy President of the Senate, His Excellency, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Media Consultant to the Senate Committee on Constitution Review (2011-2015) and media consultant to the then Borno Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima (2011-2019) among others.

Before he took a leave of absence, he was an Assistant Editor, Politics with The Sun Newspapers, Lagos and also one of the regular panellists on the popular TV Current affairs Programme on TVC, Journalists Hangout. Earlier, he had served as an Assistant Editor, in charge of the North-West and North-East. He was then responsible for coordinating and supervising editorial and Business activities in the two regions.

For rare display of dedication to duty, he was given a commendation letter by Media Trust Limited, publishers of Weekly, Sunday and Daily Trust Newspapers, for defying the 2000 Kaduna ethno-religious crisis to come to work, and made it possible for the week's edition to hit the newsstand. And since joining The Sun, he has won several awards, prominent among which are: "Best Political Reporter of The Year- 2009" and MD's award 2011, for outstanding performance.

Prior to his appointment as Regional Head at The Sun, Omipidan was a Chief Correspondent, with The Spectator, a sister publication from The Sun's stable. He was promoted on transfer, with effect from April 1, 2008 to the paper, a weekly, to establish its Abuja office. He had also started the Maiduguri Office of The Sun in 2003, shortly after joining the paper from the defunct The Comet.

Since his foray into the Journalism, spanning over 20 years, right from his days in the Polytechnic as Editor-in-Chief of a training Magazine, Kadascope, Omipidan has in addition to the aforementioned, worked either as a freelance reporter or paid staff of the following media organisations: The Week, The Guardian, Weekly Trust and The Punch, which was specifically for a four-month Internship.

Apart from working as a State Correspondent in Kaduna, Borno and Yobe States in the past, he has also reported from the National Assembly (Senate) and the F.C.T ministry for The Sun, from 2005 to 2008. And as a National Assembly Correspondent, he served as the Chairman of the Senate Press Corps before his promotion and subsequent redeployment from Abuja in December 2008, to Kaduna.

He was also Secretary of the Correspondents' Chapel of the Borno State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Secretary, Sports Writers' Association, SWAN, Borno State, Treasurer, Kaduna State Council of the NUJ, Vice Chairman, NUJ, Kaduna and Acting Chairman, Kaduna State Council of NUJ.

Furthermore, he was Secretary, Muslim Students Society of Nigeria, MSSN, Otukpo Area Unit, Assistant Secretary, MSSN, Benue State, Vice Chairman, Ansar-Ud-Deen Youth Association of Nigeria, ADYAN, Kaduna Branch, 1st Assistant Secretary, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society, ADS, Kaduna Branch and 1st Vice National Chairman, ADYAN. He was the Publicity Secretary of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society, Abuja branch.

He is currently a deputy editor and head of politics desk of The Sun Newspapers. He is a team player who is always desirous of putting in his best so as to achieve set objectives, goals and targets.