Azubuike Ishiekwene (also known as Azu from his weekly column, born February 19, 1965) was the former executive director of ''

Punch Nigeria ''The Punch'' is a Nigerian daily newspaper founded On August 8, 1970. Punch Nigeria Limited was registered under the Companies Act of 1968 to engage in the business of publishing newspapers, magazines and other periodicals. It was designed to i ...

Early life and education

Azubuike was born in Port Harcourt,

Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...

. He attended Christ The King Primary School,

Ajegunle Ajegunle, popularly known as "AJ City" or simply "AJ", is a neighbourhood located in the heart of Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It is located in the Ajeromi-Ifelodun local government area of Lagos. Ajegunle in the Yoruba language means "A plac ...

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

(1972–1978); Gaskiya College, Cardoso, Ijora, Badiya, Lagos (1978/79 - 1983) for School Certificate; Jibril Martins Memorial Grammar School, Iponri, Lagos (1983–1985) for HSC. Ishiekwene attended the University of Lagos (Mass Communication) from 1985 to 1988 receiving his B.Sc. in Mass Communications and from 2003 to 2005, earned his

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Public Administration and International Affairs from the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos, popularly known as UNILAG, is a public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria and was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the first generation universities in Nigeria and is ranked among the top universities in th ...

. He holds a master's degree in Public Administration and International Affairs from

and a BSc in Mass Communications.

Career

Azu joined ''Punch'' in 1989 (after being an intern in 1986) and has at various times been staff reporter,

investigative reporter Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years res ...

, features writer, senior features writer, deputy features editor, features editor, and deputy editor of ''Toplife'' magazine (a ''Punch'' publication). He was also a member of the ''Punch''

editorial board The editorial board is a group of experts, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take. Mass media At a newspaper, the editorial board usually consists of the editorial page editor, a ...

, and Editor of ''Saturday Punch'' between 1996 and 2001. He was editor of the company's flagship paper and daily title, ''The Punch'', between 2002 and 2006, when he was appointed executive director, Publications, with direct oversight functions for the company's three titles – ''Sunday Punch'', ''Saturday Punch'' and ''The Punch''. He has won many awards, including the Babatunde Jose Prize for

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

1988, the Dame Award for Informed Commentary 1993, 2001, 2004 and again in 2006; and Editor of the Year, NMMA 2006. From 2002 to 2006, he was editor of the company's flagship paper and daily title, ''The Punch.'' As executive director, he has direct oversight of the company's three titles: ''Sunday Punch,'' ''Saturday Punch'' and ''The Punch''. Ishiekwene left ''Punch'' in 2010. In early March 2010, Steve Ayorinde, the past editor of ''Punch'', made public allegations that Ishiekwene had forced him to resign his position. Ishiekwene was subsequently replaced on the Panel of Judges for the 2010 CNN MultiChoice African Journalists Awards.Ibekwe, Nicholas
"Ishiekwene leaves CNN judges panel,"
''Next'', April 2010. Ishiekwene is the author of ''The Trial of Nuhu Ribadu: A riveting story of Nigeria's anti-corruption war''. As of 2013, Ishiekwene is the chairman of editorial board of Leadership Newspapers based in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishiekwene, Azubuike Journalists from Rivers State Nigerian newspaper journalists 1965 births Living people People from Port Harcourt University of Lagos alumni Nigerian editors