Lekan Otufodunrin writes on the amazing career journey of Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye, Head of BBC West Africa
In the social media world, there are various hashtags # for each day of the week.
Among the popular ones are #MotivationMonday #WomancrushWednesday, #ThrowbackThursday and #FlashbackFriday. MondayMotivation is about motivating quotes shared on Mondays, while WomancrushWednesday is about women people admire and write about on Wednesdays.
I’m compelled to combine and tag this post #MotivatingWomancrush based on this picture of @ogunseyeoluwatoyosi with President Muhammadu Buhari during the visit by the BBC team after the successful fake news conference in Lagos attended by dignitaries including Vice President Yemi Osibajo and Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.
Toyosi’s media career story is inspiring any day and I’m never tired of writing about it. From freelancing for The Sun Newspaper as a Biochemistry student, working as a Crime Correspondent for the defunct Newsstar newspaper, joining The Punch and rising to the position of Sunday Editor (the youngest and first woman title editor) to now Head of BBC West Africa in less than fifteen years, she is a role model of how to be successful and outstanding in the media profession despite the various challenges.
Along the line, she has also earned necessary higher academic qualifications and more than 25 local and international media awards.
Talk of how to smash, not break the glass ceiling that limits women in the media and confirming that journalism is not about how long you have been on the job, but how well you can maximize the opportunities, my #Womancrush rocks!
Her picture with Buhari reminds me Proverbs 22:29 in the Bible: Seeth Thou a man/woman diligent in his or her work, he or she will stand before Kings and not mean men.
The second picture of Toyosi with other finalists of the Young Journalists Award in 2008 organised by Media Career Development Network is a typical Flashback photo.
I celebrate you Toyosi. Like I wrote in the comment on your picture with Buhari on face book, Bibi Ire Ko se fowora (Being born well with good upbringing and manifesting it can’t be acquired with money)
It’s the grace of God and I thank God for your life.
