Bimbo Oloyede: A  Life in Broadcasting

Unwana Samuel Akpan, Communication and Media in Nigeria: Celebrating Bimbo Oloyede’s Contribution to Five Decades of Theory, Practice and Transformation. 

Reuben Abati

This is what I consider a truly interesting book in terms of its very obvious and well achieved contribution to the study of mass communication in Nigeria, and it reaches this point in yet another unique manner, as a festschrift published in honour of one of the most prominent journalists in contemporary Nigeria: Mrs. Patricia Bimbo Roberts Oloyede, known for short as Bimbo Oloyede. This commemorative book titled Communication and Media in Nigeria has been published to celebrate 50 years of her media practice, bringing together the various intersections between theory, practice and required transformations in the field. Edited by Dr. Unwana Samuel Akpan, a journalist and a scholar, the book not only celebrates Mrs Bimbo Oloyede, it gives voice and space to practitioners of the craft of communication to reflect on what they do, and offer a ringside commentary on a field in which Mrs Oloyede has spent her entire working career. The book ends up not being about her, except for the prefatory tribute section written by Professor Duro Oni, John and Sola Momoh, Kevin Ejiofor, Sola Omole, Christiana Alabi-Akande, and the thoroughly engaging foreword by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria, 1999 – 2007.  Bimbo Oloyede is the recurrent refrain, more like the inspiration, but the book is more about the profession itself and related matters making this a very useful text for students of mass communication including advertising, digital media and public relations. It is not often that journalists have enough time to pause and reflect on what they do, the madness of the newsroom, so “all-consuming” that it gets discussed in full in Section III of this book, leaves no room for very little else.  But here, in this book in honour of Mrs. Oloyede, the editor carefully selects many of the faces that we see on Nigerian television, the writers that we read in print, the producers in the gallery of news production, the various industry insiders, sports broadcasters, the newsroom crowd, editors, media owners, anchors and presenters, as well as scholars to make a book that is so relatable, informative and refreshing. In this book, the town meets the gown in a grand collaboration that is bound to be of benefit to the study of communication and media in Nigeria.

The rallying point for the discussion is well chosen. Mrs Oloyede has spent her entire career, benchmarked at the 50-year point that she reached in 2025, in the mass media business; a year after, she remains an active practitioner and a living legend of the trade– one of the rare privileges that journalism offers, the fact that you can remain productive and active until perhaps your walking stick fails you. The book is dedicated to her “in recognition of her distinguished and meritorious contributions to the growth, development, and professionalization of the global media industry.” The book also pays special tributes to Dr. Christopher Kolade (1932 -2025), Chief Segun Olusola (1935 -2012), and Chief Tunde Oloyede (1947 – 2017) – iconic figures in the field of broadcasting in Nigeria, and major influences in the making of the Bimbo Oloyede brand. The editor aspires to be ambitious in the comprehensiveness of the scope of this publication offering us a total of Eight Sections, 55 Chapters and 494 pages. He even reviews the book himself in an elaborate Preface, and celebrates the honoree in an effusive Introduction that is titled “Honouring a Living Media Legend.”  This is a work of admiration, but it is well deserved. It is also a welcome task of intellectual inquiry. Mrs. Bimbo Oloyede puts in an afterword, (pp. 457 – 475) where she reflects on her own life and experience, and the book itself. This should be a must read for all younger broadcasters. She does not preach, rather she is unassuming in telling her own story and expressing gratitude, and her expectations for the future, with words of praise for the younger generation. In over 50 years of practice, she has been involved in every aspect of the trade: She started work at what was then known as the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation Television (NBC-TV) on September 1, 1975 but many would remember her for reading the famous Network News at 9. 00 pm on both the NBC and later the NTA which was established in 1977. She has remained in the business since then, getting involved also in related fields. She has trained generations of journalists. She has written books including: Strictly Speaking: Pronunciation Made Easy, Strictly Speaking: An Oral Guide for Schools and Colleges, and Command Your Stage. She is also the founder of Women Optimum Development Foundation (WODEF), the Lifeline and Development Initiative, which focuses on cancer research and care, she ran a media company with her husband, Media International Enterprises Ltd., and has consulted over the years for development organizations including the UNFPA, UN Women, the British Council, the Ford Foundation, UNDP and USAID, and for companies like Glo, the telecom company. She has been honoured widely for her distinction including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism which she says “I was very pleased to receive from Professor Soyinka himself (p. 469). She also received the Legacy in Motion Award from Women in Film and Television (Africa) in 2025, in addition to many other awards. But perhaps this publication in her honour is the biggest tribute that can be paid to her, and it is significant that at the age of 72 she remains relevant in her chosen career, and has lived through the seasons from spinster to Grandma of the profession.  

What we say about ourselves is just as important as what others say or remember about us, if in fact not more important, and in this regard, readers of the book should equally be interested in the tributes paid to Mrs Oloyede in the individual testimonies before the essays and more particularly in the “Endorsements” (pp. vi – xii).  Professor Duro Oni calls her “a pillar of excellence in broadcasting and a cherished family friend” (p. vi). He adds that “Mrs. Oloyede’s contributions to broadcasting have not only shaped the industry but also touched countless lives” (p. vii). Dr. and Dr (Mrs) John and Sola Momoh, founders of the Channels Media Group say of her: “Mrs. Oloyede, you have carried the light, not for applause, but to show others the way. You have been the voice we listened to, the standard we measured against, and the example we strive to follow” (p. viii).   Christiana Alabi-Akande tells us: Mrs. Oloyede combines deep knowledge with gentle authority. She represents the finest blend of intellect, grace, and humility.” (p. xii).  In the Foreword titled “The Unavoidable Watchdog: Echoes of Excellence”, President Olusegun Obasanjo writes a memorable commentary on his relationship with subject, the Nigerian media, the role of the media in society, and concludes somewhere in-between that “the media must be indispensable watchdogs of democracy and if these five decades of Mrs. Oloyede’s career has taught us one thing, it is the indispensable duty of journalism to call leaders to account. That duty is the heart of her work, and it is why we celebrate her.” (p. xviii). For a former Head of State of Nigeria, who once put up a sign at the gate of his Ota farm reading: “Dogs, Journalists And Miscreants Not Allowed”, this is quite instructive.

The rest of the book is devoted to a rigorous examination of the media as craft in a total of eight sections, focusing on all the terrains that Mrs Oloyede’s career covered, written by scholars and experienced practitioners of the craft. The editor’s selection covers a broad range both in terms of the topics and the contributors. The book, it may be said, is written by those who have been directly involved in the theory and the practice, and so each contributor provides knowledge and understanding, and direct participation beyond the instant provisions of Google. As stated earlier, the editor already provides a detailed review of his own effort in the Preface to the book, a further expression of his admiration for a woman he calls, “an icon and matriarch of Nigerian broadcast journalism” (p. 3)., “Lolo of the Nigerian media Industry and an Obonganwan (that is, a Queen) of the Nigerian Television Screen” (p. 10), “a mentor, a maestro, a Media maven” (p. 8). Section 1 discusses the Foundations of Nigerian Media systems: six chapters in which the reader is introduced to media systems and the history of the Nigerian Print media, Broadcasting, the history of Public Relations, Nigerian Women in Advertising and Regulating the Nigerian Media. In the second section, we hear from the insiders, the field experiences of Ramatu Ohioma, Lola Alakija, Tunde Kelani, Joke Silva and Sunday Goodness John Ofoleta. Section III is titled “Newsroom Perspectives”, offered by the men and women in the arena, the mad house of news making, news production, news writing, news anchoring, interviewing the guests, and the challenges of accountability. The contributors know their subject because it has also been their life work, here we listen to the voices of the likes of Stella Din-Jacob, Martins Oloja, Cyril Stober, Seun Okinbaloye, Mojeed Alabi, Dayo Aiyetan, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya, Motunrayo Alaka, Paulyn Ugbodaga, and Oluwatosin Dokpesi, each one a denizen of the newsroom business. Section IV is on Sports Broadcasting. Section V discusses the production and content creation process in print and Broadcasting.  Section VI is titled Town and Gown – Training, Talent and Campus Broadcasting. Training the younger generation was a major aspect of Mrs. Oloyede’s career. She belonged to a generation for whom elocution and pronunciation were sacred items of the trade, but the times have changed and hence contributions in this section such as “Challenges of Broadcast training in Nigeria “by Soni Irabor, “Spotting, Nurturing and Managing Broadcast Media Professional Talents for Posterity” by Chris Ubosi, “How to Spot, Nurture and Deploy On-Air television talents” by Kingsley Uranta, “ A Message to Aspiring Broadcasters” by Sienne Allwell-Brown, and “A Message to Aspiring Journalists by Gbemiga Ogunleye should be of special interest to the reader. Section VII concentrates on projections about the future. It is the age of new media, artificial intelligence, the rise of the digital chorus and the citizen journalist, bloggers, influencers and content creators. That future deserves the focus that it is given. The chapters end on an interesting note: the well-being of media professionals with contributions by Yemi Sodimu, Gbemileke and Titilayo Oyinsan and Adeola Kingsley-James (whose Kingsley is misspelt by the way in the Table of Contents). Indeed, journalism is one hell of a job, with grave emotional challenges. It is a jealous job, in which practitioners easily forget their own well-being, what Adeola Kingsley-James calls “the madness of media lifestyles” (p. 451). The counsel that is offered about self-discovery and life-work balance is very useful for all persons who are trapped in a profession where it is easy to burn out and forget oneself. 

Mrs. Bimbo Oloyede survived. In using her as an example of distinction and achievement, this book offers us hope and encouragement. The book does not just celebrate her, it grants us an opportunity to hear and learn from the leaders of the craft who write with knowledge and clarity. In addition, the book is well produced and well edited, and so visually delightful. It should be read, however, not simply for the beauty of its cover, but for the great value of its content. It deserves your time and attention.