Victor Oladokun


Victor Oladokun is a British-Nigerian journalist, broadcaster and media communications consultant. He was the Director of Communication at the African Development Bank AFDB and producer and host of the popular internationally acclaimed TV magazine programs CBN World News and Turning Point on the Christian Broadcasting Network CBN.

Early life

Oladokun was born in 1958 in London, England to an Irish mother from County Claire and a Nigerian father from Ondo town in Ondo state, Nigeria. He grew up in London and Liverpool. He has also lived in Nigeria and the United States.

Education

He attended Corinthian Avenue Primary School in Liverpool; a Canadian Jesuit run Catholic high school, St. Joseph's College in Ondo, Nigeria; and the University of Ife, 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, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA and also a Doctorate of Strategic Leadership degree from the same university.

Career

Early in his career, Victor Oladokun worked at Cadbury 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, 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 Virginia Beach. 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, they popularised several news and magazine programs, including CBN World News and Turning Point, across English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean and the UK.
Oladokun has interviewed several guests including global political, sports, literary, entertainment, and religious figures. They include Mohammed Ali, George Foreman, Thabo Mbeki, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Kenneth Kaunda, TD Jakes, Terry Waite- the Church of England envoy kidnapped and held hostage in Lebanon; Andre Crouch, Myles Munroe, and Cece Winans among many others. In a 1999 tell-all interview, then Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo spoke about corruption, debt reduction, his political ordeals including time spent in prison, forgiveness and his faith in God.
After nineteen years at CBN, Oladokun worked as an international media and communication consultant between 2013 and 2017.

Work with the African Development Bank

Oladokun was appointed Director of Communications and External Relations at the African Development Bank in 2017. Bank President Akinwumi Adesina credits him with restructuring the institution's Communication team and strategically raising the profile of the Bank, its operations and development impact. He retired from the Bank on March 31, 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, and the Africa Investment Forum in South Africa. He moderated the 2019 Lagos State Governors Debate.

Selected articles and publications