Why be local when I can be global?

I am a Doctoral Researcher at the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRSR), Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom. My research interest is focused on qualitative and creative methodological studies on youth unemployment, youth transition (just transitions), employment and welfare services, and the Voluntary Sector (nonprofit). 

I describe myself as a product of God's grace, mercy and love in addition to the communal love I enjoyed from friends and families amidst varied failures and disappointments of life. I hail from a family with strong academic background and heritage. My grandfather is the first Professor of Accounting in Nigeria having studied at the University of Southampton (1955-58) and the London School of Economics (1961-63). In addition, he was a former Head of the Department of Accounting, University of Lagos (1970-80) and a former Dean, the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Lagos (1976-78). Likewise, my mother is a Commonwealth Scholarship Fellow and Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University.

I grew up within the university community at FUTA (Federal University of Technology, Akure) and this gave me a great privilege of being exposed to education at a very tender age which offered me a profound pathway into the global world of social change and development. By age 15, I had already graduated from high school and later gained admission to study Mass Communication at Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) in Osun State, Nigeria where I graduated at the age of 21 and among the top 1% of my class. In 2016, following my mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), I proceeded to the University of Benin for my Master's degree in Mass Communication, which unfortunately elongated for 4 years due to the dwindling educational system of Nigeria. In 2020, I was award the prestigious Commonwealth Shared Scholarship (CSS) to undertake another Master’s degree in International Communications and Development at City University of London where I graduated with an overall distinction grade.

Professionally, I am a trained journalist and communication expert with over 10 years of experience in the Voluntary Sector/NGO sector. I am adept in news and content writing, human-interest stories, conducting stakeholders’ analysis, interviews and focus group discussions, monitoring and evaluation, fundraising and grant writing, as well as digital media management. I have a successful track record of working on social impact projects such as an intern with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abuja where I wrote over 100 news stories under the court beat. As a Communication Specialist I was instrumental in the development of communication strategies, planning and organising campaigns and sensitization events, managing social media and websites of different nonprofits in the areas of poverty reduction, youth development, mental health, drug use and prevention and climate change, among other key responsibilities. For example, in 2019, I served as a Communication Specialist on a UNODC–European Union-funded sensitisation project on drug use, dependency, prevention, treatment, and care (DPTC) where my specific roles include carrying out stakeholders and community mapping, organising and managing support groups, preparing case studies documentation, building the project's social brand visibility by managing the organisation's social media accounts and websites, and liaising with media agencies. I was also part of the Nigerian team that led communication campaigns on the global #SpeakYourMind, #theMindWheel, and the #SheforLove projects aimed at promoting and improving mental health systems and access in Nigeria. 

Between 2020 and 2021, I worked as a Communication Officer with one of the leading mental health organisation in Nigeria, The Sunshine Series – Mind Wellness, where I was in charge of the organisation’s media and digital communications which involves the management of social media platforms such as YouTube, X/Twitter, Instagram and Medium. In particular, I was instrumental in designing the communication strategies which led to the launch of the first mental health helpline in Nigeria on the national emergency line 112, in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria to offer free 24/7 counselling support to residents in Abuja with no call credit costs to cushion the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic. I also designed the #SheForLove project as well as associated fundraising and communication strategies to provide psychosocial support to 500 women and girls who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) with Trauma-focused therapy sessions in Northern Nigeria. The project also witnessed the training of 100 women in grassroots communities in Lay counselling skills to prevent and reduce the silence culture that prevent women and girls from speaking up and seeking help.

In terms of my recent volunteering experience, in 2020, I volunteered as a Campaign organiser with Christian Aid, UK where I led a group of over 30 young people in my local community to create and launch a climate change call-to-action #ClimateAidCampaign ahead of the COP26 United Nations general meetings in Glasgow, UK. The campaign consists of 100 days social media campaign, policy influencing engagement with the MP, Stephen Timms, the member of parliament representing East Ham constituent in London, followed by a community-wide sensitization where climate change informational, education and communication (IEC) materials were distributed among local residents. In particular, I was selected for the global UNLEASH Innovation Lab where I joined other 999 global young talents brought together in India across the globe to develop innovative and sustainable ideas around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following this, I was invited in December 2023 to represent my university, Sheffield Hallam University at the UPP Foundation Mult-University Challenge on Sustainability organised by the joint Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission (YHCC). During the event which showcased the power of collaboration to advance the Regional Climate Action Plan, my team initiated “Uni Sell Hub”, an online marketplace platform for students to resell and purchase goods such as clothes, books and other products for the purpose of reuse and recycling. 

These experiences, among others have enabled me to continuously develop strong communication, critical, analytical, and administrative skills, in addition to the ability to work independently and in a team to achieve research and project-based tasks where I have continue to display excellent organizational, team work and human relations skills which I believe are crucial in a leadership capacity.