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, also known as BAD in French) is a multilateral development finance institution, headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and ...

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 The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook (198 ...

CBN.

Early life

Oladokun was born in 1958 in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, to an Irish mother from County Clare and a Nigerian father from Ondo town in Ondo state, Nigeria. He grew up in London and

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

. 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 Regent University is a Private university, private Christian university in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. It was founded by Pat Robertson in 1977 as Christian Broadcasting Network, Christian Broadcasting Network University and chang ...

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, 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 owned by Mondelez International (spun off from Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, after Mars. ...

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 ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, 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. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

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

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

Ibrahim Babangida Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (born 17 August 1941) is a Nigerian statesman and military dictator who ruled as military president of Nigeria from 1985 when he orchestrated a coup d'état against his military and political arch-rival Muhammadu ...

Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from Northern Rhodesia, British ...

TD Jakes Thomas Dexter Jakes Sr. (born June 9, 1957) is an American non-denominational Christian evangelical pastor and motivational speaker. He was the senior pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational American megachurch in Dallas, Texas, f ...

Terry Waite Sir Terence Hardy Waite (born 31 May 1939) is a British human rights activist and author. Waite was the Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs for the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of ...

(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 Myles Munroe, (20 April 1954 – 9 November 2014) was a Bahamian evangelist and ordained minister, professor, author, speaker and leadership consultant. He founded and led the Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI), and Myles Munroe Intern ...

, and

Cece Winans Priscilla Marie Love, known professionally by her stage name as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer who has garnered 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer; 33 GMA Dove Awards, 19 Stellar Awards, ...

. 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 Adesina Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON 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 ...

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 Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. 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