Spotlight  

‘Find A Mentor And Put Shoulders Down To Learn’

By Geraldine Akutu

14 July 2024   |   8:09 pm

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Telegram

Ify Onyegbule is the Director General, Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC). She is also a publisher, author, presentation coach and an advocate for women. With career spanning 24 years in various Radio and TV stations in Nigeria, she established her own media outfit named, Trueline Productions. She speaks to GERALDINE AKUTU in this interview. Growing up,…

Ify Onyegbule is the Director General, Imo Broadcasting Corporation (IBC). She is also a publisher, author, presentation coach and an advocate for women. With career spanning 24 years in various Radio and TV stations in Nigeria, she established her own media outfit named, Trueline Productions. She speaks to GERALDINE AKUTU in this interview.

Growing up, did you ever envisaged being a radio broadcaster?
Yes, this is what I have always wanted to do and at age 15, I already knew what path I was treading and I simply sharpened my focus and decided what my journey was going to be. I believe the God factor propelled me but the work, yes, I had to put in the work and learned from the best.

What are the challenges facing female journalists in Nigeria and how can it be resolved?
Things are changing really and it is affecting the profession. For senior female journalists who have made a name for themselves, they have managed to stay sane and relevant in the business because of the thorough training they got in their time, learning the ropes and applying the knowledge they had acquired but for the young ones coming up, not many of them want to put in the work to build their careers. I believe that there is no challenge that is insurmountable if we put our minds to it.

In journalism, which women inspire you and why?
Stella Din Jacob, TounOkewale-Sonaiya, Ngozi Alaegbu, these are women who are thriving in the profession and are not fixated on the so-called challenges that many keep talking about. Check them out, they are holding the forte in the different organisations where they are.

Tell us about your book, ‘How Did We Get Here?’
It’s an experiential manual for Broadcasters whether on Radio or TV and it details some of the mistakes I made in my years on the job at different radio and TV stations. Its aim to provide some guidance for the young minds thinking about a career in Broadcasting.

As a woman who is now piloting the affairs of the Imo Broadcasting Corporation, what has the experience been like for you so far?
It’s been whole lot on my plate but I have taken it one day at a time. You can imagine what it is, moving from the private sector and into the civil service, to work with career civil servants, it was tough at first but then as time went on, there were changes that we instituted and it gradually sipped in. It is a work in progress and I’m optimistic that things will eventually coalesce and the picture will become clearer to many because change is the only constant thing.

What has been your major achievements since you came on board?
This is a tricky one, we started an in-house re-organisation, carrying people along and letting them know why we have to do things differently in line with the changing terrain of broadcasting, it was tough but we were able to re-organise programmes, and created new and relevant ones, beefed up our news in line with telling our story in a way that audience can understand it and relate to it. We cut down on the use of paper to at least 80 percent because the world has gone digital and IBC won’t be left behind. We are focusing on a lot of human angle stories now, which throws light on the plight of the locals, the common man, making it relatable with our audience, I will describe it as a work in progress and gradually the look and feel will correspond with content, productivity and output.

Do you see mentoring as a contributing factor to your success today?
Yes, maybe not directly as we have today when you sort of apply to someone asking them to mentor you. As a little girl, I watched the likes of Mrs. Bimbo Roberts (Oloyede now) Ms. SinneAlwell Brown, Ms. Ruth Benemasia and the other women who grace our television sets as children. The voice of Eugenia Abu is one that I will never forget so these were women I watched from afar and I tried to figure out how they were doing it and that spurred me to embrace the profession. Mentoring is very important and I won’t forget how my manager at Metro FM, Lagos, Mrs. Ndidi Osaka will keep me on my toes and she always reminded me of why “you cannot fail, not now not ever”. There was also Aunty Emma, my GM at Treasure FM who would make sure that I got to the office early enough to start the day because she knew people were waiting. Can I talk about mentoring without mentioning my former boss at radio Continental, Mr. Femi Sowoolu who was every young broadcaster’s fountain to drink from and he never allowed the opportunity pass, to tell you what you can do to get better on the job. It’s important for people to find a mentor and put their shoulders down to learn.

What positive changes would you like to see in the journalism practice in Nigeria?
Better coordination, practitioners need to close ranks so as to project a common front. There is quackery everywhere in a lot of professions but in Journalism, things are getting out of hand and we can see the harm that the profession is facing as a result of this. Training and retraining of personnel should be on the front burner because of the way the practice is evolving and its either you evolve or the train leaves you behind.

What is your advice to younger women who want to go into broadcast journalism?
Broadcast Journalism is not for the feeble-minded or the faint-hearted, you don’t need to sleep with anyone to get the job because if you don’t have the flair, you don’t have it and it’s a profession where you prove yourself with your performance. So, brace up and put in the work.