In the recently concluded election in Ondo State, the PDP and APC got some setbacks from a third-tier political party. No, it is not Peter Obi’s Labour Party. It is the Social Democratic Party chaired by Stephen Adewale—journalist cum politician.
Stephen Adewale, a 2011 graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University had his major journey as a senior research associate for Africa Dialogue Mission and was appointed director a few years later; in the first month of 2016, the United Nations chose him to join the African Union Joint Task Force on Peace and Security—all these were before he joined the media officially through KAFTAN TV.
Although Adewale has always been active in the column-writing sector, he became established as a journalist through the founding of KAFTAN TV which has produced 30,000 media personnel through their NYSC scheme. The channel has stations in the top two Nigerian indigenous—Hausa and Yoruba—for dissemination of information. In 2023, a merit award was given to KAFTAN TV by the NYSC board.
JOURNALISM AND POLITICS.
Adewale’s journalism can be traced to the Great Ife as a freshman, he was among the fellows who demanded the impeachment of the then-SUG president. In politics, he served on the student representative council for the Faculty of Arts. The education rights campaign was led by Adewale while still at OAU.
In 2014, Adewole Adebayo who was impressed by his writing for a review of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy pulled him into the political and journalism sector. Through Adebayo’s KAFTAN TV (Adewale is one of the managing directors), Adewale has been able to reach and touch millions of lives—shunning brown envelope journalism that has tried to undermine the Nigerian media sector. Through the SDP, Adewale has strived to current the ills of electoral malpractice engulfing Nigerians through the ruling parties.
In 2022, Adewale was made the chairman of SDP in Ondo State. A position that has seen him make some indelible mark in the state.