Victor Oladokun (born Victor Bandele Oladokun) is a British-Nigerian journalist, broadcaster and communications strategist. He was the director of communication and external relations at the

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) or (BAD) is a multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies i ...

Group AFDB where he is credited with transforming the bank's communication strategy, elevating the institution's regional and global profile. Oladokun currently serves as the senior advisor to the president of the bank on communication and stakeholder engagement. He was the producer, managing producer and producer and host of the popular internationally acclaimed TV magazine programs ''CBN World News'' and ''Turning Point'' on the Christian Broadcasting Network CBN.

Early life

Oladokun was born in 1958 in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, to an Irish mother from County Clare and a Nigerian father from

Ondo Ondo may refer to: Japan * Ondo, Hiroshima * Ondo (music), a style of folk music * ''Ondo'' class oiler, ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy Nigeria * Ondo City * Ondo State * Roman Catholic Diocese of Ondo * Ondo Kingdom (c. 1510–1899) People ...

town in Ondo state, Nigeria. He grew up in London and

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. He has also lived in Nigeria and the United States.

Education

Oladokun attended Corinthian Avenue Primary School (now Corinthian Primary School) in

; a Canadian Jesuit run Catholic high school, St. Joseph's College in Ondo, Nigeria; and the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria, where he studied History and Political Science from 1977 to 1981. At Ife he developed a fascination with the media and envisioned a future television and media landscape that included improved professional presentations, innovative programs, and inspirational content. Oladokun holds a Master of Arts in Communication from Regent University,

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, US and also a Doctorate of Strategic Leadership (DSL) degree from the same university.

Career

Early in his career, Oladokun worked at

Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mar ...

Nigeria Plc in various management positions from 1983 to 1986 as Publications Manager, Media Relations Manager, and Acting Corporate Affairs Manager. From 1986 to 1987, he was the Group Public Relations Manager/Spokesperson for the A.G. Leventis Group of companies,

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 ...

, Nigeria. Between 1990 and 2009, he worked in the United States as a news journalist, international TV host, producer, senior producer, and later as a managing producer at CBN International in

. At CBN, he developed and produced a portfolio of international TV programs including the popular ''CBN World News'' and ''Turning Point''. For almost two decades, along with his long-time co-host Kathy Edwards (née Rucker), they popularised several news and magazine programs, including ''CBN World News'' and ''Turning Point'', across English-speaking

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

and the UK. During his broadcast career, Oladokun interviewed several global figures including Mohammed Ali,

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...

, Thabo Mbeki,

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its pres ...

, Ibrahim Babangida, Kenneth Kaunda, TD Jakes, Terry Waite (the Church of England envoy kidnapped and held hostage in Lebanon),

Andraé Crouch Andraé Edward Crouch (July 1, 1942 – January 8, 2015) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music profess ...

, Myles Munroe, and Cece Winans. In a 1999 tell-all interview, then Nigerian President

spoke about corruption, debt reduction, his political ordeals including time spent in prison, forgiveness and his faith in God. After 19 years at CBN, Oladokun worked as an international media and communication consultant between 2013 and 2017.

African Development Bank Group

Oladokun was appointed Director of Communications and External Relations at the

Group in 2017. Bank President

Akinwumi Adesina Akinwumi "Akin" Adesina is a Nigerian economist, who is currently serving as the President of the African Development Bank. He previously served as Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Until his appointment as Minister in 2010 ...

credits him with restructuring the institution's communication team and strategically raising the profile of the bank, its operations and development impact. Oladokun retired from the Bank on 31 March 2020. Oladokun is a media and communication strategist, public speaker, event moderator, TV host, and writer. He has spoken at various events including The Platform Nigeria, the African Economic Conference, the Africa Investment Forum in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. and the 2022 Dakar II Food Security Summit. He moderated the 2019 and 2023 Lagos State Governorship Debate.

Selected articles and publications

*Future of Drone Technology – in Thisday 21 Mar. 2019 *Africa: Saving Our Languages, Preserving Our Future *Mr President: 7 things you must do now *Echos of communism: The end of globalization? *COVID-19: Why Africa Urgently Needs an Ubuntu Plan *Locking down Africa now: There is no time for test runs *The End of Social Conventions? *Africa: Sports as a Business and a Brandhttps://www.cnbcafrica.com/africa-press-office/2019/07/08/africa-sports-as-a-business-and-a-brand-by-victor-oladokun/

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oladokun, Victor Nigerian journalists 1958 births Living people English people of Nigerian descent Obafemi Awolowo University alumni Regent University alumni English people of Yoruba descent Yoruba journalists Journalists from London Nigerian expatriates in the United States Black British writers British expatriates in the United States