The operating structure of 12 zones of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is ready to take off with the introduction of the new Zone Managers by management.

NAN informs that the new zones will begin to operate on January 1, 2023.

It will be recalled that the agency hitherto operated a six-zone structure until management decided to divide it into 12 zones for administrative convenience, effectiveness, and greater coverage, especially at the grassroots level.

The new Akure Zone, which has the states of Ondo, Ekiti and Osun, was drawn from the old Ibadan Zone, while the Owerri Zone, separated from the old Enugu Zone, now has Imo and Abia as component states. .

The Asaba area, created from the former Port Harcourt area, has Delta, Edo and Bayelsa as component states, while the Maiduguri area, created from the former Bauchi area, now comprises the Borno states. , Adamawa and Taraba.

The Sokoto area, made up of Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states, was removed from the former Kaduna area, while the Minna area, comprising Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi, was created from the former Jos area. .

The new managers and their zones, according to a statement issued by the Agency’s Abuja management, include Adebayo Sekoni, deputy editor-in-chief, who would head Akure Zone.

The trio of Benson Iziama, Felecia Okonkwo and Yakubu Uba, all deputy editors, would head up the Asaba, Owerri and Maiduguri areas respectively.

Habibu Harisu and Mohammed Baba-Busu, both deputy editors-in-chief, would take charge of the Sokoto and Minna areas, respectively.

The statement also said that management reviewed its operations at the end of the year and had introduced cost-cutting measures to ensure it stayed afloat in the face of rising cost of doing business, inflationary trends and shrinking budget.

“The agency is also looking at partnership possibilities to increase revenue generation while working with renowned global news agencies.

“For example, during the year under review, the agency signed agreements with two foreign agencies: the Turkish News Agency (Anadolu) and the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA),” it said.

NAN also has news sharing partnerships with leading international news agencies such as Reuters (UK), Deutsche Presse-Agentur (Germany), Xinhua (China) and Sputnik (Russia).

Meanwhile, plans are underway to reopen continental offices in South Africa, Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast in the first quarter of the New Year, according to Managing Director Mr. Buki Ponle.

He thanked the workers for their perseverance and added that with a greater budget allocation and internally generated income, more resources will be provided for social assistance, training and work tools.