Meet Ogun PDP Deputy Governorship Candidate, Dr. Reuben Abati

 Reuben Adeleye Abati simply known as 'Reuben Abati' is an award winning Journalist and Politician born on November 7, 1965 in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria.


He was a special adviser on Media and Publicity to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Reuben was also a newspaper columnist and the chairman of the editorial board of the Nigeria newspaper The Guardian from 2001 to 2011. His column also appears regularly on the Nigerian website, Nigerian village square.

 Reuben Abati is a highly cerebral achiever of proven ability with extensive professional experience in both the public and private sectors whose core competence covers design and management of communications structures and processes, in-depth analysis of concepts and issues, media and government relations - with a bias for societal impact and laws. His engagements are backed by his strong inter personal, networking, research as well as intellectual and communication skills. He has worked as team leader, managing large teams to deliver efficient results in the face of challenges that require pace and adroitness.

EDUCATION

After the completion of his Primary and secondary school education in Abeokuta, Abati moved to the University of Calabar, where he graduated in 1985 with a First Class Honours and as Class Valedictorian. He was recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s Prize for the Student with the Best Overall Academic Performance in the Graduating Class. He was also a National Merit Scholar. He later studied at the University of Ibadan as a University Scholar.

He holds a Ph.D in Theatre Arts, specializing in Dramatic Literature, Theory and Criticism from the University of Ibadan (1990), a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Lagos State University, Lagos (1999), a professional training certificate in journalism from the College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park, United States (1996-97) and a Certificate in Management and Leadership from the Said Business School, University of Oxford (2015).

CAREER

Reuben Abati has been writing for the Nigerian press since 1985, serving as Contributing Editor, Editor, and Columnist to many publications, covering both the mainstream media and the softer genre of romance and lifestyle magazines. He is very well known for his book reviews, essays and commentaries on national, regional and international affairs. His writings have also appeared in both local and international periodicals and academic journals.

Before working in government, Reuben Abati was, from 2000-2011, Chairman of the Editorial Board at The Guardian Newspapers, a privately owned, independent Nigerian newspaper. He also served at The Guardian as Editorial Page Editor, and as a columnist, running two columns per week. Abati is a recipient of many prizes for journalistic excellence. These include the Hadj Alade Odunewu/Diamond Award for Media Excellence Prize for Informed Commentary (which he has won four times), the Cecil King Memorial Prize for Print Journalist of the Year (1998), the Fletcher Challenge Commonwealth Prize for Opinion Writing (2000), the Freedom Peace Prize for Journalism (2010) and The Red Media Africa Living Legends Industry Award (2015).

EARLY CAREER LIFE

Abati originally started his career as a university teacher, teaching courses in Dramaturgy, Theory and Criticism, Special Author Studies, and the Sociology of Literature at the Olabisi Onabajo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, South West Nigeria, before embarking on other fields of interest. He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors. He is also a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, a Fellow of the 21st Century Trust, a Fellow of The Nigeria Leadership Initiative and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters.

WORKING WITH THE PRESIDENCY

In 2011, he was appointed Special Adviser, Media and Publicity and as Official Spokesperson to President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing the President’s media office, media relations and leading the Presidency’s public communications team.

After his stint in government, Reuben Abati returned to journalism, writing his regular two columns in The Guardian newspaper (Friday and Sunday). He subsequently moved to ThisDay newspaper where he now writes a Tuesday column titled *TuesdayWithReubenAbati*. He also runs a website: reubenabati.com.ng, posts regularly on instagram and twitter as @abati1990. He is actively engaged as a consultant on media and public policy issues. He is happily married with children.