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Chido Onumah

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Chido Onumah
Image of Chido Onumah
Born10 April 1966
NationalityNigerian/Canadian
Known for
  • Journalist
  • Rights activist
  • Media trainer
  • Father of the famous Toronto rapper, Dotun Onumah
TitleJournalist and Author
SpouseSola Onumah
ChildrenFemi, Mobolaji, Dotun and Moyosore

Chido Onumah (April 10, 1966) is a Nigerian/Canadian journalist, author, blogger and rights activist. He has worked for over two decades as a journalist, rights activist and media trainer in Nigeria, Ghana, Canada, India, the US, the Caribbean and Spain,.[1][2]

Education

Onumah studied at the University of Calabar and received an MA in journalism from the University of Western Ontario.

He is a doctoral candidate in communication and journalism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain UAB.

Career

Onumah worked and wrote for several media houses in Nigeria, including The Sentinel magazine, The Guardian, AM News, PM News, The News/Tempo, Concord , Punch and Thisday newspapers, before moving to Accra, Ghana, in 1996. He served as coordinator, West African Human Rights Committee and correspondent for African Observer magazine and AfricaNews Service.[2]

In 2003, Onumah spent time in Haiti and Dominican Republic where he reported on people living with HIV/AIDS, and on cross-cultural dialogue between African and Caribbean journalists. Between December 2001 and January 2002, Onumah was in New Delhi, India, on fellowship with the Indian Express newspaper, reporting on international issues.

From 2002 to 2004, Onumah worked as Director of Africa programmes at the Panos Institute in Washington, DC.[2]

Between 2006 and 2007, he served as pioneer coordinator of the crime prevention unit (Fix Nigeria Initiative) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, working on a civil society anti-corruption agenda for the country, and in partnership with the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism developed programs on ethics and investigative reporting for Nigerian journalists.

Between 2001 and 2002, Onumah volunteered for the London Cross Cultural Learner Centre, London, Ontario, Canada, working on integration and provision of information for refugees and new immigrants to Canada. In 2005, he began volunteering for the World Computer Exchange WCE, seeking donations of used computers and assisting in recruiting African community organizations, universities, and secondary schools.

Onumah is a columnist with several newspapers.

Awards

  • 2017: Devatop Anti-Human Trafficking Ambassador, Abuja, Nigeria.[3]
  • 2002: The Jerry Rogers Writing Award, University of Western Ontario, Canada
  • 2001: William C. Heine Fellowship for International Media Studies, University of Western Ontario, Canada
  • 2001: Alfred W. Hamilton Scholarship - Canadian Association of Black Journalists
  • 1999: Kudirat Initiative for Democracy KIND Award for excellence in journalism (Nigeria)
  • 1997: Clement Mwale Prize for courage in journalism, AFRICANEWS SERVICE (Kenya)]]

Publications

Onumah is the author of We Are All Biafrans[4][5] (2016), Nigeria is Negotiable[6] (2013) and Time to Reclaim Nigeria[7] (Essays 2001-2011) 2011. He has edited books on various subjects, including Making Your Voice Heard: A Media Toolkit for Children & Youth (2004); Anti-Corruption Advocacy Handbook (with Comfort Idika-Ogunye) 2006; Youth Media: A Guide to Literacy and Social Change (with Lewis Asubiojo) 2008; Understanding Nigeria and the New Imperialism (with Biodun Jeyifo, Bene Madunagu, and Kayode Komolafe) 2006; and Sentenced in God’s Name: The Untold Story of Nigeria’s “Witch Children” (with Lewis Asubiojo) 2011; Media and Information Policy and Strategy Guidelines (with Grizzle, A., Moore, P., Dezuanni, M., Asthana, S., Wilson, C. and Banda, F.).[8]

African Centre for Media & Information Literacy

Onumah is coordinator of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL).[9] AFRICMIL was set up in 2008 following the resolution of the 1st Africa Media & Information Literacy Conference in July 2008 in Abuja, organised in conjunction with British Council, Nigeria, and the National Film & Video Censors Board (NFVCB).

Pan-African Alliance for Media & Information Literacy

Onumah is the chair of the Pan-African Alliance for Media & Information Literacy (PAMIL) and Co-Chair of Global Alliance on Media and Information Literacy (GAPMIL).

Controversies

Onumah has generated intense discussions on governance, human rights abuses, and corruption through his expository articles and essays.[10] He has often questioned the credibility of some political office holders and frowned at exclusion of youth in governance. One of his books titled: We Are All Biafrans, which talks about restructuring Nigeria, has continued to generate debate among political leaders, the media and civil society across Nigeria. The book uses Biafra as a metaphor for the various agitations in Nigeria. It calls for political restructuring as a basis for enhancing Nigeria's unity and building an egalitarian society.

References

  1. ^ JournAfrica!. "Chido Onumah". JournAfrica!. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c International Reporting Project. "Fellows: Chido Onumah". International Reporting Project. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  3. ^ ICIR, Nigeria (March 2, 2017). "Football Star, Popular Actor Among Anti-Human Trafficking Ambassadors". ICIR Nigeria. ICIR Nigeria. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  4. ^ "We Are All Biafrans is not about Biafra agitation, says author - OAK TV". oak.tv. Oak TV. Oak TV. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  5. ^ Onumah, Chido (29 May 2016). We Are All Biafrans (1st ed.). Lagos: Parrésia Publishers Ltd. ISBN 9785407985. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  6. ^ Onumah, Chido (15 August 2013). Nigeria is Negotiable (1st ed.). Abuja: African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL). ISBN 9789324766. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  7. ^ Onumah, Chido (15 December 2011). Time to Reclaim Nigeria. Abuja: AFRICMIL. ISBN 9789192401. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  8. ^ Amazon. "Chido Onumah". Amazon. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  9. ^ Sahara Reporters. "Chido Onumah". Sahara Reports. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  10. ^ Abdul, Mahmud (May 2016). "Are we all Biafrans?". Naij.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.

Sources

  1. ^ "We Are All Biafrans: Why Nigeria is not working- Ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar - OAK TV". oak.tv. Oak TV. Oak TV. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
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