women-journalists-from-nigeria

"I think for me, I was running more toward than away from something. And a year ago, it sounded like such a great idea to get my ass up at 1 a.m. to do morning radio"

"I don’t claim to have an answer for how to resolve this, what actions should be taken or how to prevent something like this from happening again. I do know, while I can go back to work in my peaceful place, the girls cannot; at least not this minute.I do know this atrocity is devastating. I hope the international community continues to condemn these acts and do all within international law to rescue these girls and disband the group apparently responsible; whose name I refuse to give ink to on my pages. I fervently hope that Nigerians will unite, step up and increase again the pressure on the government to crack down hard. And I can pray, foremost for the girl’s safe rescue. But I also pray for Nigeria."

"I am thrilled to welcome Adaora to the PBS team. Her expertise in emerging technologies, paired with her award-winning reporting and filmmaking experience, makes her particularly qualified to help guide our General Audience programming strategy. With her guidance, we will continue to build on PBS’s mission to develop and distribute content that meets the needs of audiences from diverse backgrounds."

"Some people still believe that a woman is less intelligent, less competent and less skilful in carrying out certain tasks. But this is an office environment; I do not need brutal force to carry out my assignment. What I need basically is competence. I need computer literacy and sound education, which in my view, I have acquired from some of the world’s most renowned academic institutions. I am qualified and can adapt and fit into anywhere and deliver on my mandate in the most professional manner"

"One of my key concerns in broadcasting to a country as complex and sensitive as Nigeria, is making sure the BBC gets it right and our editorial checks have to be rigorous. With over 20 million Nigerians listening to the BBC on a regular basis, I feel pretty motivated to get the checks right. One final thought: this is not the first time BBC Hausa has had cause to get to the heart of the story surrounding President Yar'Adua. In 2007 BBC Hausa service was the first to get an interview with Yar'Adua while he was receiving medical attention in Germany - again dispelling the rumours."

"I left the broadcast news chair altogether and reliving this has been painful. Yet I am hopeful things can change. I speak up now for the women and women of color and people of color who are doing incredible work in public radio. They deserve to be treated fairly. They deserve for meritocracy to be more than a buzzword."

"I am a very good voice over drama artiste, I thrive very well in that regard. I also teach Elocution, it’s just that I haven’t dedicated enough time to that aspect of my life. I’ve been a facilitator for a number of seminars on Elocution, I teach that very well. I do very good voice overs, I write scripts. I could even do some copy writing if I applied myself to it. I’ve done a bit of that in the past. But presentation is perhaps my favourite aspect of the job"

"Of course it has not been all gloom. Some Northern women have and are still doing remarkable work in journalism whose recognition go beyond the shores of Nigeria. The Hauwa Baba Ahmeds who graced our TV screens in the ’80s and early ’90s casting the NTA Network News and Bilkisu Yusuf quickly come to mind. Others include Hauwa Funtua, Fatima Abass, Aisha Bello Katung all of the NTA fame. We also had the likes of Kadaria Ahmed, Jamila Tangaza, Delu Mohammed, Grace Alkheri and Bilkisu Labaran who were practising on the international scene. These northern journalists were at various times with either the BBC or the VOA. Here the likes of Christian Amanpour of CNN and our own Nigerian born CNN Zain Asher."

"Human beings are curious about other human beings. Form and shape of [documentaries], of course, is going to change, and yes, it was wonderful when the streamers got involved. But documentaries have only been increasing. Look at the last 50 years: you look at all of the surveys, you look at all the quantitative data, all audiences love documentaries across gender, across race, whatever it is, there is a tremendous curiosity"

"It is clear that she (Ulasi) has produced five mysteries. The novels are indeed mysteries ... set in what Hortense Spillers, in another context, refers to as the "terrain of witchcraft" (1987, 189). In Ulasi, seeing is not always believing or deceptive. Her intriguing genre, the juju novel, appears to be Nigeria's answer to the gothic and magic realism ... Ulasi's terrain covers the occult, dark, impenetrable tropical forests; in short, vestiges of the supernatural world, which proliferate the Nigerian imagination."

"Make u no worry. That be how life be. Sometimes it go up, up, up, and sometimes it come down, down, down. When it go up, you get many friends. But when it come down, your friends run away."

"Decades ago I read Adaora Lily Ulasi's Many Thing You No Understand. When I read the work, who would have thought about the strange happenings in my nation, Nigeria?Adaora, who passed on in 2016, also wrote Many Thing Begin for Change, and The Man from Sagamu Let me say that as we keep mute or play mute, as we pay lip service things are changing, and the resultant effect is one that we may not be able to cope with...."

"When you get into the deep end of the marriage pool, what offers you a life jacket is not love. In fact, love can’t swim. Love is feeble bodied, delicate. Love itself needs support and protection. That is why those who go into marriage with only love as a covering soon find themselves naked."

"You work hard with love and passion for what you do."

"That a woman chose or is chosen not just for the roses are red and her shapely shape does not mean real deep love won’t develop as the marriage grows, after all the marriages that take off on ‘plenty love’ have been known to lose the love when the vicissitudes of life show up."

"We have to start taking pride in what we do and stop giving attention to those who are trying to distract us."

"When something is good it will be counterfeited. It is only an unsuccessful product that will not have a fake."

"As a lawful owner and holder of the Certificate of Occupancy of your man’s assets and jewels, you reserve the right to keep your thing. But do not, I repeat, do not lose your life or yourself while trying to fend off encroachers."

"Everyone living in a country with elections should care more and do more about choosing their government. It goes beyond voting on election day. The earlier we get involved and the more we participate, the more the outcomes will reflect our will. Join a party. Create a voter group. Raise funds to help future candidates you like."

"If a fish in the ocean is what we do know, then the entire ocean is what we don’t. The universe is always going to remain the largest mystery."

"When you play well, you get handsomely rewarded, football in Asia is more attractive now, both in terms of competition and in monetary gains."

"She has been able to rebuild and rebrand the women league in Nigeria, Africa and indeed in the world as one of the best."

"You’ll have to put a lot of work into it, with dedication and commitment."

"It is okay to appreciate broadcasters but not to cross the boundary. As broadcasters they need all the encouragement they can get and not constant harassment and intimidation."

"As women, in our quest for success, we must remember to leave the door wide open for other women to walk the path that we’ve walked."

"When you see someone who looks like you or who comes from where you come from, succeeding in one way or the other, or pushing through a perceived ‘closed’ door, it gives you the confidence to believe in yourself."

"Research is very important."

"However, to succeed in fashion, one must be visible."

"You're in the public eye. You sometimes will get criticism, and it can be tough to swallow."

"Believe in yourself. You don't even need to get noticed nowadays by starting on major platforms."

"Everyone deserves an education, it is NOT a privilege, it is simply a fundamental human right. You cannot expect a society to thrive when citizens are not equipped to develop a skill set and contribute to the development of that particular society."

"Consciously deciding not to, knowing and understanding what comes with being Nigerian in our world today, and choosing to stay focused on individual success, will one day lead to our collective success as a nation."

"In truth, times are hard, but tough times also have a way of bringing the best out of people, in terms of innovation."

"I am aware of the prowess of Falode in marketing, and what she can bring to the League to develop it. I also know that most of the members are well connected and could bring a new lease of life to the women’s League. They are all seasoned, passionate and capable."

"Football, especially, is an equaliser and women are finding their space in the vast opportunities presented by sport."

"It’s important to be able to tap into each other’s strengths and very reassuring to know we can count on the support of a group of women who struggle with or share the same challenges as us."

"Women must begin to love themselves and provide ladders for other women to climb."

"Everyone has their own character, but it’s the sum and combination of all the individual personalities that makes collective work easier and more productive."

"Do what makes you happy as long as you’re not hurting others."

"Quite frankly, stop running away from the media. Stop avoiding interrogation and stop avoiding young people. It is unhealthy for our society and if you want to serve in public office, you have to be willing and ready to be a person that is for the people."

"Regardless of societal expectations and unsolicited pressure, stay true to yourself."

"Keep on learning. We honestly need to continue to reorient our mindsets for the greater good and build a better society."

"You cannot shy away from what affects your day to day and if you want to see a societal change, you have to infiltrate the system."

"Life is short and there’s so much more to life than we’re ever going to know."

"Life is always going to have its ups and downs, but our energy controls so much about us."

"Being loving and kind, giving your life purpose, and simply doing something – these simple things that we often complicate as humans, lie at the core of that energy, and at the core of how we should exist."

"I always told myself I could do better; there there is no limit to improvement in journalism."

"So, if you are gifted in many ways, take a chance and seize the opportunity to be all that you can be."

"So, I always tell my people that you are either born a broadcaster or train to become one. If you are talented, fine. And if you are not you have to work very hard because the whole world is watching you because being in the broadcast puts you in the limelight."

"Nigeria has been a pioneer in Africa for women’s football. It took a long time for other countries to understand that there’s real potential for women in the game."