CONCEPT
The West Africa Broadcast & Media Academy (WABMA®) is a broadcast and communications training and certification academy with campuses planned in Nigeria, Ghana, and The Gambia, as well as Online. WABMA® serves as:
a. A finishing school for current and aspiring media practitioners who need to become professionals in all ramifications. WABMA® meets the needs of a growing population of media practitioners, broadcasters, journalists, and organizations for world-class broadcast, media and communications training and certifications.
b. A communication skills acquisition centre for young people and adults who wish to hone their media, digital, and entrepreneurship skills as well as to grow in their chosen careers. Thus, it serves young people, especially new graduates who need practical training to become professionals and acquire relevant experience and certification for the job market and forentrepreneurship.
c. Continued education centre for mid and top-level career executives to keep up with current digital media trends and to improve their personal brand.
Finally, WABMA® attracts much-needed foreign partnerships for media development in West Africa.
ACADEMIC SYSTEM
WABMA® operates four Quarters yearly, with Basic and Advanced Long Courses and Short Courses every Quarter.
The curriculum is an intense and rigorous course module(s), which approximates real work environment, for faster, well-grounded and practical skill acquisition.
The curriculum also offers robust interactive in-campus and online courses.
Collaboration with partner stationsaffords students essential hands-on practical training, unique on-air experience, access to language laboratories as well as live and production studios.
Internships of up to six months are usually available.
Hostel accommodation is available for in campus student
Courses run both In-Campus AND Online. The faculty is made up of the best veterans and professionals.
CONCLUSION
WABMA® is excellent for individual personal development and;
- Media Houses: – inclusive of current and
aspiring broadcasters, journalists, and media
organizations; - Tertiary Schools: – inclusive of new
graduates who need the practical finishing
school training to become professionals; - Corporate firms: – inclusive of mid-to-top level career executives who need a flexible finishing school to polish their communications skills, keeping up with current trends and opportunities in the communications world;
- MDAs and NGOs: – for communications skills upgrading of their staffs Online Communities: – inclusive of Millennials who prefer convenient online platforms for training and skills acquisition;
- Donor Agencies and foreign Media schools: interested in capacity building of the media in West Africa.
Our Team
Meet our creative and talented human resource personnel
Joseph Ollor Obari, LLB, BL, ANIPR WABMA Registrar and Instructor
Joseph Ollor Obari is a lawyer and experienced Communications expert who brings to the team a rich blend of practical journalism experience and corporate communications. He worked for eleven years as correspondent for The Guardian newspaper in some major cities in Nigeria and later, had a stint with an international wire service, Thompson Reuters.
A consummate crisis communicator and mediator, he enriches the team with his legal flavour and experience gained from over fifteen years in the oil and gas industry. He left the employment of Shell as company Spokesperson in 2018.
Joseph Ollor Obari, LLB, BL, ANIPR
WABMA Registrar and Instructor (Journalism, Media Law, Ethics & Professionalism)
Joseph holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Language from the University of Port Harcourt, a distinction diploma in Journalism and an LLB from the Rivers State University. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2007.
He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Lt. Jika Attoh - Executive Director, WABMA - Former MD ESBS
Jika Attoh specializes in Broadcast training and management. He is a former news anchor at CHANNELS Television, Lagos and former anchor KAAKAKI – award-winning Television interview programme. He is a Journalism trainer for the BBC World Service Trust (BBC MediaAction) in the EU-sponsored Nigerian Budget Monitoring Project /www.budgetmonitoringng.org/; and Consultant Media Trainer for ENABLE in Nigeria.
Jika has a wide range of experience as:
Member, Board of Directors, West Africa Democracy Radio, Dakar Senegal
Deputy and Managing Director, Enugu State Broadcasting Service Radio & Television
Executive Director, Lagoni Broadcast System
CEO, BLAZE 91.5 FM, Anambra
CEO, 105.5 COSMO FM, Enugu
He is an alumnus of the universities of, Ife, Lagos (Nigeria) and Oxford (England).
Contact info:
linkedin.com/in/jika-attoh-639a7313
Kevin Ejiofor
Fmr D.G., FRCN, chairman wabma
He is a former Director General, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); former Director Enugu State Information Bureau, former PR Manager of Cadbury PLC.
With a distinguished 30+ years career in Broadcasting, Journalism, Public and Corporate Communications, KNE is a specialist in News management and crisis communications.
He is widely consulted especially by governments and international organisations to assist in crafting effective media agenda and managing public communications.
Formerly of BBC Media Action
He is a development communications and broadcast expert. He was Head of External Relations at BBC Media Action Nigeria, managing a team to maintain the organisation’s unique selling point.
As Head of Media Development for BBC Media Action, Aro was responsible for designing and delivering all capacity building activities and acted as Project Lead where he interfaced with donors and development partners on Governance, Health and resilience projects.
Aro produced the award-winning youth reproductive health magazine show “Flava’ and the largest HIV Spots campaign in Africa, among several other impactful programmes.
He is a well-known media trainer in Nigeria.
Former D.G., Imo Broadcasting corporation
Former Director General Imo Broadcasting Corporation; Former Deputy Director and Head, Network Sports, FRCN Headquarters, Abuja.
A graduate of the Institute of Journalism, Berkshire, England, he has had extensive professional training in News, Production, Presentation and Management. Was Africa Regional Correspondent for the Voice of America (VOA) from 1989 to 1999.
Won numerous awards, including, Enugu/Anambra Sports Writer of the year, 1991. Nigeria’s sports Writer of the year 1992; Rotary club of New Haven Vocational Service Award, 1998 and Nigeria’s National Sports Merit Award, 2003.
An accomplished sports and ceremonial commentator, he has led Radio Nigeria’s coverage team to numerous continental and global events, including, the USA’94 FIFA World Cup; France ‘98 FIFA World Cup; 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games in England; 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup; Tunisia 2004, Africa Nations Cup; Athens 2004 Olympic Games in Greece and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in China, to mention just a few.
Mr. Asiegbu is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration and an Alumnus of the International Media Training Centre, Washington DC, USA
Ken Ike-Okere
CONSULTANT / TRAINER
Ken Ike Okere joined the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria – FRCN (Radio Nigeria) in 2007 as Head of the newly created Corporate
Development & Communications Directorate, the strategy hub of the huge corporation.
He led a range of activities that modernized the 80-year old huge radio network: creating its first website; its first online content; its first corporate email addresses; and its first online live audio streaming service.
Other firsts include, the institution of modern Audience Research, Excellence Awards and e-newsletters (plus a
print edition).
He has been a strong advocate for the full
digitization and rebranding of the influential public broadcaster, crafting in 2010 a Corporate Plan meant to position the Corporation on
the path of strategic growth, sustainability and modernization.
In 2013, he was appointed the Director of FRCN’s Lagos Operations, supervising three brands: Metro 97.7 FM, BOND 92.9 FM, and Radio One 103.5FM.
He is credited with the rebranding success of the FRCN Lagos stations, reformatting all three to be thematic channels in the fields of: All-News & All-Talk (Radio One FM), Lifestyle & Entertainment (Metro FM), and Language Broadcast (Bond FM); and positioning all three in the top 12 of the competitive Lagos broadcast market while ensuring that they had significant online presence.
He is currently the Zonal Director, FRCN South East Zone, Enugu, where he supervises FRCN’s 7 brands in 5 states and he’s already commenced a successful rebrand and turnaround of the Zone’s lead station, Coal
City FM, Enugu, converting it from a general broadcaster to an All News! All Talk! All Sports! Channel and one of the few FRCN’s 40 stations with hours of podcast and online content.
In 2019, Coal City 92.9FM won the Nigeria Media Nite Out (NMNO) award of Best Station of the Year South East, and 3rd best nationwide.
Ike schooled in Universities in Nigeria and the United States, with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Theatre, Media, Communications
and Journalism.
Ken Ike Okere leads quite a diversified life. He is active in literary circles (co-founding the Abuja Literary Society, Eko Literary Society and
Enugu Literary Society); and is an author.
He is also active in Training circuits where he specializes in Media, Personal Finance and Entrepreneurship training as well as in Strategy, Business and Personal development.
In recognition of Ken-Ike as a change-maker and
social entrepreneur, he was, in 2008, awarded the prestigious, lifetime, international ASHOKA Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurship.
PRODUCTION/PRESENTATION & MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Anike-ade Funke Treasure is a broadcast journalist, a certified media trainer, speech and leadership coach.
She was the first female journalist to manage an all news radio station in the Radio Nigeria Network and indeed the Nigerian broadcast industry.
She rose to the Assistant Director, Programmes, FRCN Lagos Operations.
She is the founder of Funke Treasure Table Tennis Championship (F3TC) a championship for girls in junior secondary schools.
She runs a social enterprise, the Media Mentoring Initiative (MMi) to empower aspiring and young professionals with broadcast skills.
She is Guest Faculty with The Journalism Clinic; the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations, Lagos NASPRI) and more.
She is a facilitator and member of the board of the Internatonal Press Centre, Nigeria, and was an Adjunct Lecturer with Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.
She was the pioneer Vice President, Acting President & President of the School of Media & Communication (SMC) Alumni of Pan Atlantic University, Lekki, Lagos.
She is a recipient of professional media fellowships and awards.
These include the Nigerian Media Merit Award’s Radio Production of the Year 2008 and Finalist, Henry J. Kaiser HIV Journalism Category, CNN African Journalist of the Year Award 2007.
She has authored three books, including a childhood memoir, and Pronunciation Guide Series for Secind Language Speakers of the English Language.
She recently retired from Radio Nigeria to run her own enterprise; Illuminate Nigeria Development Network, a social enterprise.
Anike-ade Funke Treasure has a BAEd in English Laguage and Masters degree in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University, South Africa.
She is a John Maxwell Team speaker, trainer and facilitator, she is in demand in Nigeria and West Africa as a panelist, speaker, and facilitator.
Mike Msuega Yawe
Mr. Mike Msuega Yawe, a native of Zaki-Biam in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, was born into the family of Teacher Yawe Aboh on 23rd December 1965.
A graduate of Bayero university Kano and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi,
with a master’s degree in business administration (MBA Marketing).
Mr. Mike Yawe joins WABMA with cognate experience in Business Management, Sales training and media experience having worked with several companies in the Private sector at various times before berthing at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria. A consummate news hunter, Mr Mike Yawe is credited with over a hundred commentaries on the Network news as well as Special reports and interactive. He was the official biographer of Radio Nigeria.
He was Senior Sales Rep at Benue Brewery from 1990 to 1994. Area Sales Manager at Promasidor Nigeria Ltd from 1994 to 2000. Regional Sales Training Manager-North for Great Brands Nig Ltd from 2000 to 2004. He joined Honeywell Oil and Gas Ltd as Zonal Business Manager North from 2004 to 2007.
Due to his diligence, credibility and performance, he was employed as a Deputy Director Marketing with Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria in 2007.
TV TRAINER
She is a former NTA broadcaster, manager and former Executive Director South Saharan Development Organisation (SSDO).
Her specialization is in gender-sensitive communication, development communications and management of the TV format.
Media Professional & Mental Health advocatE
(Abuja campus Bdm)
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