Shola Oshunkeye turned 70, marking seven decades defined by a quiet yet profound impact on journalism. Born in Ilesa, Osun State, he began his career in the Federal Civil Service and held a science background from the University of Lagos before transitioning into journalism in 1989 with Concord Press. His career spanned pivotal roles at Weekend Concord, TELL Magazine, and The Sun Publishing Limited, eventually rising to Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief at a Ghana-based outlet. In 2006, he won the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award for his investigative piece Niger's Graveyard of the Living, a report recognized for its courage and emotional depth. Colleague Folu Olamiti described him as a man of humility, loyalty, and rare professional integrity, someone who treats journalism as a calling rather than a job. Oshunkeye is founder of The Crest and its Journalism Enhancement Foundation, platforms dedicated to nurturing ethical standards in the profession. His forthcoming autobiography, A Lifetime of Big Stories, is expected to reflect not just his career but the soul behind it. Throughout decades of change and challenge in the media landscape, including the proscription of Concord Press, he remained a steady presence. He is celebrated not for spectacle but for consistency, mentorship, and an unwavering commitment to truth.
Oshunkeye built a career on integrity while working in media environments where sensationalism often trumps substance. His CNN award-winning report on Niger's Graveyard of the Living reached a continental audience, yet similar crises in Nigeria's own border communities remain undercovered. If a story of such gravity could command global attention abroad, the silence on homegrown equivalents speaks volumes. Journalists like him highlight what Nigerian media could be, even when the system rarely rewards it.
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