Dele Salako

Dele & Eve

Growing up in this part of the world can be very challenging. We are constantly labored with the daily challenge of maintaining a livelihood and living up to expectations. Our societal values have in one way or the other affected the way our minds are shaped and as such we are constantly under the scrutiny of others.

The one anxiety every young aspiring individual has is simply the fear of “Failure”.

Dele & Femi Oke of CNN

Everyone desires to be a success story, a role model and a worldwide enigma but it seems the spotlight is for only a few. Without role model, people may lose direction.

We will be chatting with Dele Salako a young journalist who will be helping us discover a gem in our society and who will equally share some of his experiences as a journalist, his hopes and dreams.

1.  What is your educational background?

I attended St. Leo’s Nursery and Primary School, Lagos and Sunny Day International School, Kano for my primary education. Then I attended one of the very best secondary schools up North and in the country, Crescent International Secondary School. After this, I proceeded to Bayero University, Kano, where I did some Bio-chemistry (Mum always wanted me to become a Medical Doctor) but I soon dropped out to discover my own path. That adventure led me to eventually attend the prestigious Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos where I graduated top of my class. There’s so much more to come in this regard.  

Gbenga Akinnage & Dele

2.  Where exactly did you grow up?

I was born in Lagos but I moved to Kano with my mum in 1991 where I spent much of my formative years. It was mostly back and forth between Lagos and Kano – resident in Kano, several vacations in Lagos.

3.  Did growing up in the north have any particular effect on you?

Positive and negative effects. Positive in the sense that I wouldn’t give up the friendships I made, the experiences I had and the education (not just academic) that I received in all of the 13 years I spent in Kano for anything else in this world. Another positive is that I understand and speak the Hausa language proficiently. Growing up in the north has also helped me to embrace a broader view of our ethnic diversities as opposed to having the bias that most people who have never been to the north bear towards the generality of northerners. In the negative sense, most of the friends I grew up with in Kano are either still in Kano, Abuja or abroad. Very few are in Lagos. So it’s usually like – even though I live in Lagos now, there’s hardly any past I can make references to in Lagos. That makes me envy my Lagos friends when we are out together and they keep meeting some old friends they went to school with and keep pointing to places & hangouts where they had fun in teenage years and early twenties. Sometimes it makes me feel lonely and like I just fell out of the sky.

4.  How would you describe yourself

Nike Osinowo & Dele

I am an affable fellow with a cool demeanour; people just tend to like me. I am respectful except of course if someone asks to be disrespected.  I am a head spinner of some sort as it usually does not take long for people to know that I’m around (not pitiful noise-making of the empty barrel – mine’s different. I guess I was just born to be the difference everywhere I go). I am a rebel of some sort and an enemy of conventions and stereotypes that stifle innovation and creativity.  I do not like trouble but I sure know how to give it if someone asks for it. My cool looks tend to belie a deep inner resolve that is powered by an unrelenting ambition to succeed and make a tremendous positive impact on my generation.  I hate injustice in whatever form that it comes and I hate people who despitefully use and take undue advantage of others. I fear God and that keeps me sane in a fast and insane world.

5.  Why journalism?

Journalism wasn’t my childhood fantasy. Even though I had always had a gift for writing, it was not particularly encouraged by my parents in my growing years. But as I grew up, I became an ardent reader of newspapers, magazines and opinion articles. I also became a staunch lover of Larry King Live and Hard Talk with Stephen Sackur on the BBC which actually stirred my interest in journalism and I as such saw in the field an appropriate avenue to express my writing ability to emancipate the broken and downtrodden of our nation. Now, it’s a passion; yet, Journalism for me is not an end in itself, but a means to a greater end.

6.  In your opinion do journalists uphold the ethics of the profession?

There are several journalists who still uphold the ethics of the profession. While the harsh economic realities of our nation tend to threaten their stand every day, some have stayed true while others have become compromised. Some private owners of media houses do little to help the matter in the way of due and proper payment of emoluments for which their staff have faithfully laboured; while the media is supposed to set an example for the rest of society to follow, several private owners of media houses in the country are the most guilty of unduly withholding workers’ pay. This exposes the journalists to all sorts of undesirable possibilities and we’re human after all.

7.  Considering the poor pay of journalist in these parts, would you say it is worth going into

Money should never be the motivation for going into anything in the first place; however, realistically, there must be a considerable measure of financial fulfillment involved, but it musn’t be the primary motivation or you would have missed it altogether from the start. It must first be a passion which, like life coaches or motivational speakers would tell their students, you would be more than willing to do without pay. Moreover, it is not totally true that journalists don’t get good pay. The field of journalism is vast and abounds with many possibilities which if duly explored won’t leave the journalist stranded. If a journalist does due diligence to excel in this field and distinguishes himself, I can assure you that he won’t go hungry. Today, apart from writing or broadcasting, several journalists hold respectable positions in the PR, Corporate Communications and Advertising departments of reputable organizations and state governments. They are paid to compere at big events organized by corporate organisations and government.  So, the issue of how much you make does not depend on the terms of contract you have with your media organization but on how expressive you are with your God-given talent.

8.  Can you give an estimate of how many interviews you have done till date?

I have done quite a number.

9.  Have you ever encountered any risk or threat during the job?

Not yet plus I do not as yet work in a media house or write articles that might of necessity place me in a confrontational position with some of the irresponsible non-leaders that parade themselves with impunity in the corridors of power, so I do not yet face the risk of incarceration or death neither have I received any threats

10.            Which interviews have been the most memorable for you?

       I’ll pick just one – a recent interview I had with her Excellency, the First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi. It was an education. I was inspired by the awesomeness of this woman who is a champion for the women empowerment and gender equality campaigns world over. She is someone who found her purpose early and stuck to it and has thus touched and inspired and continues to touch and inspire many lives. She was for me the personification of a life of purpose.

11.            What`s it like to write for Africa`s number 1 celebrity journal? Ovation

It is both an honour and a privilege. Growing up, if you saw someone with an Ovation magazine, you thought, “Yea, that’s a big man or woman.” The magazine has always been associated with the crème of society and I never really thought, growing up, that I would one day write for them. Well, here I am and what an experience it has been. However, it’s not yet Eldorado for me – it’s just a starting point.

12.            Can you tell us one exceptional female Nigerian that can mentor our young women & why?

Without a second’s thought, I’d say the First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi. Not many may have heard of her – she’s not the type to make noise about her achievements; her achievements speak for her. Reading her profile recently, I was awed by her intimidating credentials. She has a BA and MA in History and another MA in Gender Studies. She is a social change philanthropist, social entrepreneur, journalist, facilitator, trainer, organisational development specialist and a staunch agitator for the protection of the rights of women and children. She established the African Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI), a training and networking forum for young African women that has trained over 5,000 women across Africa, and most of these women are now in senior decision making positions as ministers, MPs, academics, civil society leaders, and employees of international organisations. She is also founder and Chair of the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) which has supported over 800 women’s organisations in 42 African countries with over U$21m in grants. Recently, she joined the ranks of the likes of Nelson Mandela and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia when she received the 2011 David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of philanthropy, given by the Synergos Institute, New York. She sits on many boards and has received several local and international awards too numerous to mention. Her selflessness to see women rise to a prominent role in a continent with a repressive culture towards women, is legendary. If this woman does not make a good role model for young women today, please tell me who will?



13.            What are your plans for the future?

       If you’re reading this, then you’re reading the words of Nigeria’s King of TV. By the time I’m done, the memory of Larry King will be begging for mention in the annals of global TV history. There’s also more that I’d like to keep private.

14.            Which female is your sex icon?

       Thank God you didn’t ask me what actress, model, singer or On Air personality is my sex icon because none of them fits the bill. Not that they aren’t hot but again, it’s just me. My sex icon is a certain Qu… Nd…– an assignment for the inquisitive mind. You might know her, you might have seen her but she’s not one of your popular TV “goddesses” or at least, not just yet. It’s this beautiful God’s wonderful gift of a female who has me falling head over heels right now and she knows it.

Well there you have it. This is by far one of my best interviews. To my friend Dele i look forward to being on your show someday in the nearest future.