Meet Tonnie Osa Iredia, The Founder of TIUC, Benin City

Professor Tonnie Osa Iredia is a veteran broadcast journalist, lawyer, columnist, administrator, and lecturer. He was born on January 31, 1949. 

Iredia, an indigene of Benin City, Edo State, holds two Bachelor’s degrees, one Master’s degree, and one Doctorate degree in Media and Management. He retired from the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in 2009. A few months after his retirement, he bagged another PhD in Law.

During his tenure as the Director-General of NTA, the government-owned broadcaster experienced significant transformation, including the expansion of transmitting and sub-stations across Nigeria.

An Academic

Prof Tonnie Iredia founder of Tonnie Iredia University of Communication Benin City
Prof Tonnie Iredia founder of Tonnie Iredia University of Communication Benin City. Credit: PM News

Outside the civil service, Tonnie Iredia is a faculty member in the Mass Communication Department at Nasarawa State University and a full Professor at Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.

He is the author of Communication Skills: Fundamentals of Effective Communication in Developing Economies.

Professional Bodies

In addition to being a member of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, Tonnie Osa Iredia is also a fellow of several professional bodies, including:

  • Nigerian Institute of Public Relations
  • Nigerian Guild of Editors
  • Nigerian Institute of Management

Honours and Awards

He is one of the recipients of Nigeria’s national honours, having been named an Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON). According to Hallmark of Labour Foundation Some of the other awards he has received include:

  • BON Best News Editor, FESTAC ’77
  • Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award, 2007
  • Life-Time Media Management Achievement Award, 2010

Founder of a Communication University

Tonnie Iredia founded Nigeria’s first communication university in March 2025, following a 35-year-long, active, and productive career in journalism, including his service as Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

Opeyemi Quadri

Ope is a seasoned content creation specialist and researcher with over a decade of experience writing on education, student aid, and government policies. He is deeply passionate about education-related data.

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