Top 5 Igbo Women in Nigeria Media Industry

By Nnenna Joseph 

Behind the scene of the media industry is filled with so many passionate women who have made and are still making their mark in the industry. The industry is also filled with countless number of women who are in front of the camera doing society proud in their corner.

Igbo women have always been winning in every sector, the media is also one of the sectors where Igbo women are winning. 

Media is an important tool in today’s society, women are challenging history and putting themselves on the map in every corner of the media industry in Nigeria. 

Here are some of the women who have distinguished themselves in the industry. 

5. LINDA IKEJI

People say she is a swashbuckler in the media space; she says she is self-made and unapologetic. Often criticized for her underhanded tactics which do not conform with the old journalistic standards. Her approach which has been described as publish then fact-check later is the trending media approach in Nigeria. Although she is prominent in the digital media space, Miss Ikeji has never referred to herself as a journalist. What she has as an advantage is her ability to monetize digital media in a massive form beating expectations. In her favor, she has changed the business aspect of journalism and so many media outfits have followed suit. She is a trailblazer.

Linda Ikeji

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4. UCHE PEDRO

Most companies in Nigeria have BellaNaija on their media plans- this means she is absolutely doing something right in the media space. Uche Pedro the owner of Bella Naija is a different breed of media mogul. She serves as a catalyst to Nigerian journalism in the sense that it often brings forward facts about actual events and helps give a modern voice to citizen journalism. If journalism is changing in Nigeria, Ms. Pedro is certainly at the forefront of this change.

Uche Pedro

3. IFEYINWA OMOWOLE  

Ifeyinwa Omowole is the President of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists, with an active membership of more than 5,000 women. She is very vocal about the rights and welfare of women journalists and has been at the forefront of conversations about better working conditions and fair wages. A Senior Editor at the News Agency of Nigeria, where she has been for nearly 30 years, she is a media trainer and has been involved in many forums for crafting policies affecting journalism practice in Nigeria. She has an MA in Media Culture and Technology from the University of Bedfordshire.

ifenyinwa Omowole

2. CHRISTIANA ANYANWU             

Chris Anyanwu MFR won the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award, UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize and the CPJ International Press Freedom Award (while imprisoned by Sani Abacha) at a time when it was extremely dangerous to practice journalism in Nigeria. Today, the former publisher of TSM and journalism graduate (Missouri, Florida) is the Chairman of Hot FM Abuja, Hot FM Lagos, and Hot FM Asaba. At 68, the no-nonsense journalist, media chief, and politician is one of the most powerful icons for women in journalism across the world.

Chris Anyanwu

1.  IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU            

She is the managing director of Arise TV, however, this is not what brought her to limelight as the most powerful woman in the media industry in Nigeria. 

Ms. Ijeoma ran a weekly column in THISDAY, and as editor of the paper, helped shape national policy and provide often sharp criticism of the government since the days of former President Obasanjo. She is quick-witted, highly cerebral, and resolutely holds the government of the day accountable.

Ms. Nwogwugwu brings to journalism a wealth of experience across the private and public sectors. She held the track record of editing all three titles under the THISDAY stable for the longest unbroken period of 11 years and is the second woman in the history of Nigerian journalism to be appointed Editor of a national newspaper, the first being Dr. Doyinsola Abiola of Concord. Based on her national and industry credence, the trajectory of her career and all-round professionalism, Ijeoma Nwogwugwu is the most powerful woman journalist in Nigeria. 

She is very fastidious about excellent reporting and near-flawless productions. From your choice of stories to the headline, the focus, the depth, your grammar (she is annoyingly hooked on that), the choice of photographs, the planning and the total production exercise, she always roots for the best. Her taste for excellence is innately irrepressible and perhaps, the reason she devised different stages of quality control for each section of the newspaper just to make sure one or two other persons are readily on guard watching a certain back, editorial wise.