Adesuwa Omoruan is dubbed the "queen of selfies" by her siblings. She confesses to taking more selfies than regulars photographs. When Adesuwa Omoruan was a child, she never thought or imagined herself becoming a broadcaster; it was the last thing she ever thought of becoming. As far as she was concerned, the lifestyle of reporters was not up to par with the kind of life she wanted, as the young dreamer that she was at the time. She wanted a life that was rich and full of the best life could offer, although she wasn't seeking a life that was necessarily flamboyant. "I just felt that journalist were not paid enough... My idea of a journalist wasn't just working at that time. Sometimes they looked very stressed, very few of them had cars... Growing up, I had this picture of what I wanted to be in life..." She had wanted to become a banker! As a child, she had taken trips to the bank with her mother on several occasions to cash-in her moth...
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| Adesuwa Omoruan is dubbed the "queen of selfies" by her siblings. She confesses to taking more selfies than regulars photographs. |
When Adesuwa Omoruan was a child, she never thought or imagined herself becoming a broadcaster; it was the last thing she ever thought of becoming. As far as she was concerned, the lifestyle of reporters was not up to par with the kind of life she wanted, as the young dreamer that she was at the time. She wanted a life that was rich and full of the best life could offer, although she wasn't seeking a life that was necessarily flamboyant.
"I just felt that journalist were not paid enough... My idea of a journalist wasn't just working at that time. Sometimes they looked very stressed, very few of them had cars... Growing up, I had this picture of what I wanted to be in life..."
She had wanted to become a banker! As a child, she had taken trips to the bank with her mother on several occasions to cash-in her mother's paychecks. These trips and her constant exposure to the world of banking and finance made an impression on her young mind. She wanted to become a banker, but life had another plan for her and took her on a journey that has made her the woman she is today, a world-class journalist and a recipient of a humanitarian reporting award.
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| Adesuwa poses with world class photographer, T.y. Bello |
Adesuwa Omoruan "is a world class journalist who knows how to bring the news to her viewers..."
~ Sosan A. Rotimi
Born Adesuwa Usile Omoruan on the 28th of September at the Island Maternity Hospital, in Lagos Island, Adesuwa spent her entire life in Lagos. She grew up in Akoka, Yaba. She attended Our Lady of Apostle Secondary School, Yaba before proceeding to the University of Lagos to study Mass Communication, which was one of the only two courses open to her; the other being Law. Her parent had urged her to choose the latter, but she felt law was not her calling considering the fact that she didn't think she is augmentative enough as a person.
She confesses to being bad at Maths, a situation which put a halt to any dream of becoming a banker. So, Mass Communication it was! It seemed like the only available choice.
She took on the challenge and majored in every aspects of the course and excelled. One of her proud moments in school was when she got her essay published on The News Magazine, a national newspaper, as a year 3 student in the University of Lagos. She says this made up for her when she didn't get an internship with any of the oil firms her mates were getting at the time. It was- and still is- a source of pride for her.
She took on the challenge and majored in every aspects of the course and excelled. One of her proud moments in school was when she got her essay published on The News Magazine, a national newspaper, as a year 3 student in the University of Lagos. She says this made up for her when she didn't get an internship with any of the oil firms her mates were getting at the time. It was- and still is- a source of pride for her.
Her journey to the world of reporting started eight months after her graduation from the University of Lagos. A former classmate had called her up to inform her that a Lagos TV Station, DBN, were recruiting at the time and prompted her to go for it. She did, got the job and got on air the very day she resumed her job. It was an experience she will not readily forget.
Adesuwa recalls an embarrassing moment that saw her drop her script on air. The Station had to quickly go on a break before she was back on. She had hoped that was the end of it, that someone else would continue or take over from her, but she was wrong. Her boss at the time, Sunny Adun, had nudged her forward to continue and finish with the news. That experience was a learning process for her. Rather that allow that become a setback, she used it instead, as fuel to spur her further in her journey.
She stayed on to become someone she didn't think she'll ever become- a journalist in every sense of the word. And she has had absolutely no regrets so far. It has been fun for her amidst all the challenges that has come her way.
Adesuwa spent close to two years with DBN before she was back on the unemployment market. She spent another eight months at home before she got hired by Silverbird Television, based in Victoria Island, Lagos. It was here at Stv that she really got to learn the ropes about every single inch of her career. Silverbird opened her to opportunities to grow and be better positioned for the promotion ahead of her. It was at Silverbird she got the opportunity to attend training courses; it was at Silverbird she got her first award nominations and subsequently, an award by the Rotary Club district 9110 for her reporting on malaria prevention; she won the humanitarian reporting award on the 3rd of June, 2018. Although, this wouldn't be her first award.
"Silverbird came, it was a bigger platform."
Her seven years at Silverbird also brought her an opportunity to attend a Global Investigative Journalism Conference in South Africa, 2017, after an essay of hers got selected. It gave her an opportunity to meet and interact with journalists from all around the world. She was sponsored by an international NGO.
Prior to her award by the Rotary Club, Adesuwa had been nominated sometime in 2011/12, as the best female newscaster, for the Nigerian National Merit Award in the journalism category; a category that was keenly contested. Adesuwa recalls that in her category, that year, were names that were already established in the industry. The nomination brought her recognition; for her, it meant someone out there was noticing her work. Other nominations soon followed after.
"I love to take up challenges. I'll rather start it and see that I can't do it than not take it up at all."
Adesuwa Omoruan spent seven years at Silverbird TV , where her main focus as a journalist centered around health issues, but she wanted more. She spoke about looking up to international broadcasting stations like CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera, wanting to do news the way they report it.
"Seven years with Silverbird Television, I felt it was time to move... I started reaching out".
Adesuwa wasn't necessarily searching for a job when, on the 1st of August, 2018, she got a job at Arise News, a step further for her. She had been called up for the job.
She says things are done a bit differently here and the work so far, in her career, has been fun. She has learnt a lot in her journey as a journalist and improved in so many ways; she has learnt to tell her news differently because her coverage and understanding of news is broader now and she now reaches a global audience, she has learnt punctuality, to be more professional and more coordinated.
Adesuwa doesn't consider herself a celebrity regardless of her time on air and she says she is getting used to people calling out her name in public. She is reaching for more and she has a greater future ahead of her.
Meeting her was truly a wonderful experience. Adesuwa is warm, personable and totally down to earth. She is open and recklessly sincere. She is someone to totally watch out for. There is more to come for her; more to experience. She wishes to travel the world, starting with a tour of Africa.
Adesuwa Omoruan has spent about ten years as a journalist. Her journey has not ended, it seems to have only just begun as she is ushered to greater heights!
Here is a short list of her awards and accomplishments so far:
*Nominee Top 50 Women Changing Journalism in Nigeria WIJ Conference 2015
*Winner, Humanitarian Reporting Awards, Rotary District 9110 Nigeria 2014
*Nominee, Best Female Newscaster of The Year, 2012, 2015, 2016, Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Award
*Winner, Humanitarian Reporting Award, Rotary District 9110 Nigeria 2018
She stayed on to become someone she didn't think she'll ever become- a journalist in every sense of the word. And she has had absolutely no regrets so far. It has been fun for her amidst all the challenges that has come her way.
Adesuwa spent close to two years with DBN before she was back on the unemployment market. She spent another eight months at home before she got hired by Silverbird Television, based in Victoria Island, Lagos. It was here at Stv that she really got to learn the ropes about every single inch of her career. Silverbird opened her to opportunities to grow and be better positioned for the promotion ahead of her. It was at Silverbird she got the opportunity to attend training courses; it was at Silverbird she got her first award nominations and subsequently, an award by the Rotary Club district 9110 for her reporting on malaria prevention; she won the humanitarian reporting award on the 3rd of June, 2018. Although, this wouldn't be her first award.
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| The award presented to Adesuwa by the Rotary Club on 3rd of June, 2018. Her first award in her career as a journalist. |
"Silverbird came, it was a bigger platform."
Her seven years at Silverbird also brought her an opportunity to attend a Global Investigative Journalism Conference in South Africa, 2017, after an essay of hers got selected. It gave her an opportunity to meet and interact with journalists from all around the world. She was sponsored by an international NGO.
Prior to her award by the Rotary Club, Adesuwa had been nominated sometime in 2011/12, as the best female newscaster, for the Nigerian National Merit Award in the journalism category; a category that was keenly contested. Adesuwa recalls that in her category, that year, were names that were already established in the industry. The nomination brought her recognition; for her, it meant someone out there was noticing her work. Other nominations soon followed after.
"I love to take up challenges. I'll rather start it and see that I can't do it than not take it up at all."
Adesuwa Omoruan spent seven years at Silverbird TV , where her main focus as a journalist centered around health issues, but she wanted more. She spoke about looking up to international broadcasting stations like CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera, wanting to do news the way they report it.
"Seven years with Silverbird Television, I felt it was time to move... I started reaching out".
Adesuwa wasn't necessarily searching for a job when, on the 1st of August, 2018, she got a job at Arise News, a step further for her. She had been called up for the job.
She says things are done a bit differently here and the work so far, in her career, has been fun. She has learnt a lot in her journey as a journalist and improved in so many ways; she has learnt to tell her news differently because her coverage and understanding of news is broader now and she now reaches a global audience, she has learnt punctuality, to be more professional and more coordinated.
Adesuwa doesn't consider herself a celebrity regardless of her time on air and she says she is getting used to people calling out her name in public. She is reaching for more and she has a greater future ahead of her.
Meeting her was truly a wonderful experience. Adesuwa is warm, personable and totally down to earth. She is open and recklessly sincere. She is someone to totally watch out for. There is more to come for her; more to experience. She wishes to travel the world, starting with a tour of Africa.
Adesuwa Omoruan has spent about ten years as a journalist. Her journey has not ended, it seems to have only just begun as she is ushered to greater heights!
Here is a short list of her awards and accomplishments so far:
*Nominee Top 50 Women Changing Journalism in Nigeria WIJ Conference 2015
*Winner, Humanitarian Reporting Awards, Rotary District 9110 Nigeria 2014
*Nominee, Best Female Newscaster of The Year, 2012, 2015, 2016, Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Award
*Winner, Humanitarian Reporting Award, Rotary District 9110 Nigeria 2018
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