Funmi Wakama: The screen diva joins the Golden Club

Call it raw grit, charm, or providence, Funmi Wakama, a name synonymous with the Nigerian Television Authority for close to three decades, has it all in abundance.

Yesterday, July 1, she gracefully waltzed into the club of the golden Jubilee, as she turned 50. For her, it is the turn of a new challenge as she recalls to mind the words of her mentor, Oprah Winfrey, who said: “There is no paycheck that can equal the feeling of contentment that comes from being the person you are meant to be.”

Over the years, this screen goddess had enlivened the nation with her sonorous voice on the popular NTA Network news. That was until she served as the first female Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, during his first tenure between 2011 and 2015, and remaining till date the only female to have served in that capacity to a state governor in Nigeria.

Prior to her appointment as the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the governor, she was also the first Media Manager, Programme and Outreach, of the International Republican Institute (IRI), an agency under the USAID programme in Nigeria.

In an interview with The Guardian, she described her experiences at the IRI and Ogun State as the most fulfilling, adding that what she learnt from the two institutions could not have been taught within the walls of any institution, “not even Harvard. They are lessons that have prepared me for another half of a century,” she said.

As a broadcaster, Funmi is success-driven and assertive, knowing what she wants and finding ways to get it without compromising her dignity and integrity. Presently an Assistant Director of News at the Abuja headquarters of the NTA, she has at various times in her career, being a presenter, reporter, news editor and trainer. She is also the News Producer of News segment of the Sunday special, Newsline.

Born in Lagos 50 years ago, as Olufunmilayo Coker, she began her foray into a career in broadcasting in 1985 at the then Lagos Television (LTV 8). She later joined the services of the NTA in 1988 after the mandatory one-year Industrial Training (IT).

Recounting one of her experiences while on IT at the LTV 8, she recalled a chance meeting with one of the nation’s greatest musicians, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. The Abami Eda, as he was fondly called, had gone to pay his condolences at the Newswatch office over the death of its editor, Mr. Dele Giwa. Suddenly, the Betacam tape they were recording on ran out and she was asked to rush downstairs to pick up another tape.

That was when he stumbled into Fela, who was descending the stairs. He simply stretched out his hand for a handshake with her.

Surprisingly, he held on to her hand and refused to let go. There were whistles and catcalls. Funmi said she almost died of fright.

There she was, barely out of her teens, with the great Fela. According to her, not even the producer, Mr. Tunde Okeowo, could save her as people teased her, asking her not to wash the hand as a mark of respect for the music maestro.

Funmi, a graduate of Mass Communication from Ogun State Polytechnic, now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Abuja, a Post-Graduate Diploma from the Nigeria Institute of Journalism and also in Public Relations from the Business Education Examination Council, Lagos.

Beyond the allure of the screen, there is a deep side to Funmi. She doesn’t cut the image of a flash-in-the-pan society lady who you come across at every societal function, but her carriage, sense of style, glamour and simplicity cannot be ignored. She is very choosy about the function she attends.

Style for her means different things at different times, depending on the occasion. Sometimes she keeps it simple and at other times, it could be glamorous. She pays attention to every detail in her choice of what to wear and how to mix and match fabrics, yet remaining resplendent.

Married to a civil engineer from Rivers State, the mother of two describes her husband as a God-fearing, kind, loving husband and wonderful father, whose only “vice” or “passion”, depending on how you look at it is his love for football.

He has been a huge fan of Manchester United since 1973. Her husband, who she sometimes refers to as her best friend and biggest critic, has been a very strong pillar of support, encouraging her, thus enabling her to flourish.

When she chose the media as a career, there was no crystal ball to show what the future held, whether she will succeed or not and whether the terrain will be slippery, thorny, mine-filled or rewarding. All she had going for her was her passion for the screen, hard work, an innate desire to succeed and to carve a niche for herself.

Funmi is a likeable person. She is uniquely humble, a total package of brains, brawn and gumption. She also has a rare zest for life, a natural affinity for good taste and the good things of life.

A few of her colleagues say she can actually be talkative if in good company, though they say she has very few friends. For someone so well known and a public figure in her own right, you can count her friends on the fingers of one hand. She loves her own company and that of family members.

Another aspect of Funmi is her kindness and benevolence. She is generous and feels the pulse of the common man. As part of events for her 50th birthday, is the distribution of items to some internally displaced persons at their camp in Abuja, where she intends to show them love and care.

“I wish I could do more for the needy in our society,” she said. “Apart from the Thanksgiving service to return all glory to God, for having kept me, the other important aspect for me, is putting smiles on the faces of the less privileged.”

She does this quietly from time to time, having learnt the act of charity under the tutelage of her former boss, Governor Amosun, who would usually mark his birthday visiting prisons and feeding the aged.