Mr. Yakubu Itopa Lawal is a graduate of BSc.(Hon) Economics from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1988 and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Lagos state University Ojo Lagos. His interest in Journalism pushed him into the Pen profession after the mandatory National Youth Service in 1989. He started his career as a journalist at the Punch Newspaper Limited with focus on Oil, Gas, Power and Steel sub sectors of the economy as his primary beat/coverage. In year 2000, Yakubu joined the flagship of the Nigeria Media house, The Guardian Newspaper as Senior Correspondent covering Energy beat which comprises of Oil, Gas, Power, Steel and Renewables .He rose to the position of Energy editor at the Guardian before he joined the then Minister of Power, Dr. Lanre Babalola as Special Adviser on Media and Communication in 2009. He later served in the same capacity with the Hon. Minister of state for Power Arc.Somo Nuhu Wya in 2010. As Adviser on Media and Communication, Yakubu coordinated the implementation of publicity policy and management of all Media /Publicity issues in the office of the Minister. Design communication strategies for improving public perception of the power Ministry through constant information dissemination. After cabinet reshuflement by the middle of 2010, Yakubu joined the services of National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) in August 2010 as Manager in charge of Media activities of the establishment, In 2011 NIPP was registered as a limited liability company with the name Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC). This changes saw Yakubu been promoted as an Assistant General Manager in charge of Media activities of the company. In 2012 he was promoted Deputy General Manager on appropriate placement policy of the company and substantive Head of the new department - Communication and Public Relations department. In 2014, Yakubu was promoted General Manager Communication and Public Relations, the position he held till September 2020 when he retired from public service. As General Manager in NDPHC, his functions include, managing the image of the company, relationship with other government and non –government agencies and the legislative arm of the government. He managed the public enlightenment of NDPHC, Powerlink on NTA and Power Track on AIT before the later was rested but the Powerlink is still ongoing weekly program on NTA till date. This program was specifically designed to educate Nigerians and other stakeholders on the activities of the company. It is an enlightenment program showcasing the activities of the agency to the world. While in the Media industry, Yakubu has covered numerous national and International conferences, seminars and workshops which impacted positively on his knowledge and skill to understand the sectors he covered and the economy as a whole. Yakubu had covered several conferences of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 1990 and 2008. He also participated in the coverage of the World Petroleum Congress (WPC) conferences in South Africa in 2005 and in Madrid, Spain in 2008 respectively. He was at the World Bank conference on Economic recovery in Africa-The role of International Monetary Fund –IMF in Accra, Ghana in 1993. During is over 32 years of working career, Yakubu served as member of Media advisory committee to MD/CEO of National Electric Power Authority between 1996 and 1997. Member Media advisory team on Federal government Committee for the Deregulation of the Downstream Petroleum Industry between 200and 2003. He served as information consultant to Economic attaché to South Korea Embassy in Lagos-2008/2009 as well as Media Consultant to Korea National Oil Corporation in Nigeria (KNOC) in 2009. Yakubu is a Member ,Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (MNIPRA) Yakubu is happily married with children, grandchildren and loves travelling and watching detective films.