Adeola Fayehun
Born
Adeola Eunice Oladele

(1984-07-06) 6 July 1984
Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Other namesEunice Fayehun
EducationOlivet College
CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
OccupationJournalist
Years active2011-present
Known forKeeping It Real with Adeola!
Websiteadeolafayehun.com

Adeola Eunice Oladele Fayehun (born 6 July 1984) is a Nigerian journalist who specializes in discussing current geopolitical, social and economic issues that affect the daily lives of Africans living on the continent.[1][2] She is well known for a controversial 2015 on-street interview[3] where she and fellow Sahara TV journalist Omoyele Sowore asked Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe about when he would be stepping down from office.[4][5] In 2013, she interviewed former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on the streets of New York, asking him what he was doing about the then on-going Boko Haram insurgency.[6][7]

Early life

Fayehun was born in Nigeria. Her parents, Rev. Dr. Solomon Ajayi Oladele and Margaret Ibiladun Oladele (née Abolarin), worked as missionaries in Nigeria. She has five older siblings, and is the youngest child.[8] She comes from Yoruba ethnic group of south-western Nigeria and speaks the language fluently.[1]

Adeola began college in Nigeria working toward a degree in linguistics. In 2003, at the age of 19 years, she moved to the United States to continue college thanks to a scholarship gained through the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. She graduated from Olivet College in Olivet, Michigan with a B.A. in Mass Communications and Journalism in 2007.[9] During her time at Olivet she worked in radio and was a writer for the Olivet College newspaper. As part of a school project, Fayehun also founded the Olivet College TV Studio.[10] In 2008, Fayehun received a master's degree in broadcast journalism from CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.[11]

Career

In 2009, after graduate school, Fayehun worked at CUNY TV as a TV news producer. During this time she wrote and produced a feature on Sahara Reporters's Omoyele Sowore, who she later went on to work with in a behind-the-scenes capacity at Sahara Reporters.[11]

In 2010, Fayehun became a U.S. correspondent for the Nigerian newspaper, The Nation, often working freelance.

In 2010, Fayehun founded the online resource, African Spotlight, where she publishes content about Africa.[12]

In April 2011, Fayehun began the news satire program, Keeping It Real with Adeola! on SaharaTV.[1] The show was 30 minutes long and features Fayehun reporting, often in character, on various African news events.[13] The focus of the show was on reporting political issues pertinent to Africa and of interest to the African diaspora community.[4][14] For the first 150+ episodes created over a period of three years, Fayehun was the producer, writer, and editor of the show.[1]

In November 2017, Fayehun left SaharaTV to work as an independent creator, publishing new content on her YouTube channel about African politics in a continuation of her weekly satire show Keeping It Real with Adeola!.[15]

Often compared to comedian Jon Stewart, Fayehun uses satire and comedy to explain news events in self-produced videos.[1] Fayehun also works as a foreign correspondent for The Nation, a Nigerian national daily newspaper based in Lagos, Nigeria.[16]

Notable interviews

Honors

  • 2008: Foreign Press Association, New York, NY, "Outstanding Academic And Professional Achievement"[8]
  • 2014: Ethiopian Satellite News Network (ESAT), Washington DC, "Excellence In Journalism For Democracy Award"[19]
  • 2015: CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, "Best One Woman Show"[1]

Personal life

In 2011, Fayehun married Victor Fayehun in Nigeria.[20] Fayehun and her husband created a non-profit foundation called KIRWA Foundation that provides aid to terminally ill in Africa.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Snow, Jackie (9 March 2016). "Meet Adeola, Nigeria's Jon Stewart: An interview with Adeola Fayehun, the host of Nigeria's Keeping It Real with Adeola". Lenny Letter. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Ssali, Shaka (13 May 2015). "Straight Talk Africa: Adeola Fayehun, Host of Sahara TV's "Keeping It Real with Adeola"". Voice of America News. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 Fayehun, Adeola (31 May 2015). "SaharaReporters Crew Encounter With Pres. Robert Mugabe In Nigeria". SaharaTV. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 Thamm, Marianne (5 June 2015). "Nigeria's favourite satirist goes global after ambushing Robert Mugabe". Daily Maverick - Guardian Africa network. The Guardian. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Freeman, Colin (3 June 2015). "How a Nigerian television reporter brought Robert Mugabe to account: TV journalist Adeola Fayehun ambushes Zimbabwean leader and asks why him he hasn't stepped down". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 Fayehun, Adeola (24 September 2013). "SaharaTV Interview with Goodluck Jonathan On The Streets Of New York". SaharaTV. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Just in: Adeola of Sahara Reporters quits Sahara TV". Vanguard News. 1 November 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Scholarship Winners 2008". Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Olivet College to celebrate Founders' Day Feb. 18". Olivet College. 2 February 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Career Spotlight: Adeola Fayehun, Journalist". Naija Enterprise. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  11. 1 2 Olumhense, Eseosa (24 August 2013). "Meet the Nigerian Face Behind one of Africa's Most Popular News Satires". Premium Times. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "About". African Spotlight. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Oshodi, Darasimi (27 January 2014). "Adeola Fayehun, the 'bad girl' of Nigerian TV". Inspirational Bursts: Darasimi Oshodi.
  14. ↑ Ssali, Shaka (5 March 2014). "Straight Talk Africa: Adeola Fayehun, Host of Sahara TV's "Keeping It Real with Adeola"". Voice of America News. Interview starts at 5:14
  15. ↑ Fayehun, Adeola (29 October 2017). "Adeola Says Goodbye To Her Friends At SaharaTV". Adeola Fayehun.
  16. ↑ Guma, Lance (2 June 2015). "Meet the woman who embarrassed Mugabe in Nigeria". Nehanda Radio.
  17. ↑ Fayehun, Adeola (29 September 2015). "Adeola Fayehun Interviews President Buhari". SaharaTV.
  18. ↑ Fayehun, Adeola (1 June 2015). "SaharaTV Exclusive Interview With Vice President Yemi Osinbajo". SaharaTV.
  19. ↑ Fikir, Dudi (21 May 2014). "Ethiopia: Adeola speech at ESAT 4th year anniversary". Ethiopian Satellite Television, ESAT. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  20. ↑ Adams, Suzanne (February 2011). "Chronicle" (PDF). FPA News. Foreign Press Association. 237 (93): 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "About". KIRWA Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
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