In the Nigerian media industry, women have demonstrated that they can hold their own as well. A number of Nigerian women in the media business have not only excelled as individuals at what they do but also gone a notch higher by running media establishments; adding value and dynamism to how Nigerian stories are told; Adesuwa Onyenokwe is one of such women.
Adesuwa who is the publisher and editor-in-chief of a lifestyle magazine, TW, built a solid resume as an excellent broadcaster working as a social services reporter with the national television network news service, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). A lot of people will also remember her anchoring the programme “One on One”, a personality interview programme. She later left the employment of NTA in 1998 to set up a media production company called Universal Communications, becoming an independent producer and later the publisher of a media enterprise known as Today’s Woman, TW, a media enterprise aimed at showcasing values and stories about women, particularly Nigerian women.
With TW magazine and a half-hour show featuring women and issues that concern them, “Today’s Woman with Adesuwa”, Mrs. Onyenokwe is definitely worth celebrating and surely one of the women worth putting on the list of outstanding women tagged “Nigerian’s Women of Vision”; a campaign celebrating 15 years of Tiffany Amber, a Nigerian timeless and iconic fashion label tagged “Meet Nigeria’s Women of Vision”. In partnership with Diamond Woman, an initiative of Diamond Bank, the campaign is designed specifically for women, by women, providing women with financial, business and lifestyle advice, helping them to achieve their aspirations.
With a degree in Dramatic Arts and a master’s degree in Language Arts, communication as a tool for development has always been her main interest; an interest that has shown in the care and concern she takes in packaging reports or programmes with the viewer in mind – the same diligence she has shown practicing journalism in the broadcast segment for over twenty-five years and four years in the print media, in Nigeria.
TW magazine, a lifestyle family magazine primarily targeted at the cosmopolitan woman, as it addresses the day to day challenges she faces in playing her multi-faceted roles of wife, mother, daughter, sister and professional, published by Adesuwa Onyenokwe since 2007, has become the prime choice of discerning readers. Her publishing company, TW Media Development Concepts employs a good number of Nigerians and has a distribution network that covers major cities of Nigeria. TW magazine also currently has an online version to cater to readers outside Nigeria due to the increasing demand of the magazine in the diaspora.
TW magazine though primarily for women, concentrates on four core areas: the Spiritual, the Body (health and wellness), Relationships and Social Issues. And since all the four core areas affect both men and women, the magazine appeals to even a large number of male folk.
Adesuwa Onyenokwe has a desire to reverse the unwritten notion that women need not be celebrated, and this formed a focal point for her television programme, her motivational speaking and advocacy which has won her several professional awards including the Nigerian Media Merit award 1994, Cadbury’s Reporter of the Year, and Zenith Bank’s Jewel of the Future award for her 2006 publication titled ‘Her Story Project’ amongst others.
About the author: Chris Bamidele is a passionate and unapologetic Nigerian, who believes in God and humanity. He is a writer, blogger, and an aspiring Television Director; and an optimist to the core. He blogs at www.chrisbamidele.wordpress.com and tweets @Chrisbamidele. He currently lives in Lagos.
