In line with its vision of celebrating the success stories of Nigerians worldwide, The Podium International Media Network is currently compiling a book featuring the profiles and pictures of outstanding achievers among Nigerian professionals in the Diaspora. The book will be edited by Ademola Akinbola, an experienced author and publisher with five published books to his credit, while Professor J.K. Olupona, a Nigerian-American professor at Harvard University, USA, will write the Foreword.
The book’s objectives are to promote collaboration and strategic partnerships and support the aspirations of Nigerian professionals to project the essence of their personal and business brands. In addition, the book is expected to:
- Create more awareness about the positive exploits of Nigerians in the Diaspora.
- Create a veritable platform for Nigerian professionals to network and collaborate.
- Improve public perception of host communities and governments about Nigerians.
- Provide the younger generation of Nigerians at home and abroad with examples of successful Nigerian professionals that they can emulate.
- Provide the Nigerian government and private sector organisations with a rich pool of credible Nigerian professionals they can draw from for appointments, partnerships, and collaboration
In a statement issued in London, United Kingdom, on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, Mr. Ademola Akinbola, Founder of The Podium International Media Network, disclosed that the book will be published in electronic and print formats, thereby affording subscribers the opportunity of keeping the print edition in their libraries and sharing the link of the online edition with their family and friends worldwide.
“The concept is very simple. We want to document and celebrate the achievements of Nigerian professionals with verifiable means of livelihood. To be eligible, you must be a bona fide Nigerian with a distinctive professional engagement. Also, you must not have a criminal record”, Akinbola added.
“The project started a few weeks ago and we are encouraged by the number of people who have subscribed, as well as the quality of their profiles. We are quite pleased and amazed at the fact that Nigerian professionals are silent achievers making an impact. Nigerians are doing exploits globally and they should be celebrated in a book form for posterity. Nigerians must celebrate themselves as nobody else will do so”, Akinbola said.
Nigerian professionals in the Diaspora who want to be featured in the book are enjoined to send their one-page profiles and high resolution photographs to ademolaakinbola@gmail.com or nigeriandiasporapro@gmail.com not later than March 1, 2024.
The Podium International Media Network publishes the daily online edition of The Podium Magazine via www.thepodiummedia.com and the bimensal print edition.
Prof. Olupona is a Professor of African Religious Traditions, at Harvard Divinity School and Professor of African and African American Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Mr. Akinbola is an experienced journalist, author, publisher, and brand management professional. He had a successful media practice at The Guardian, Punch, and This Day newspapers. He subsequently ventured into Brand Management and Public Relations, working with the British Council Nigeria as Head of Communications and Marketing, Prudent Bank (Now Polaris Bank), Owena Bank, and the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company. He is also the Lead Consultant at Brand Stewards Limited, a strategic communications, brand and reputation management consultancy.
He is the author of five books – Building Enduring Corporate Reputation (first published in 2005 and reviewed under a new title, Built to Endure in 2010); It’s a Brand U World (2013); How to Brand Yourself and Your Business, and The Winning Organisation (2018).
