Olufunmilola Aduke Iyanda, better known as Funmi Iyanda, is a Nigerian talk show host, broadcaster, journalist, and blogger. She produced and hosted a popular talk show, New Dawn with Funmi, which aired on the national network for over eight years.
Early Life
Iyanda was born in Lagos to the family of Gabriel and Yetunde Iyanda. Her father was originally from Ogbomoso, and her mother was from Ijebu-Ode. She grew up in the Lagos Mainland area; however, her mother died when she was seven years old.
She attended African Church Princess Primary School, Akoka, and Herbert Macaulay School in Lagos, Nigeria, for her primary education, and then went to the International School Ibadan for her secondary education. She also attended the University of Ibadan, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography.
Career
Funmi’s foray into television began when she started producing and presenting Good Morning Nigeria, a breakfast magazine television show. The show became a hit with its “Heroes” segment, which exalted the achievement of deserving members of society, and “Street Life,” which, unlike many shows at the time, went out on the streets in search of compelling Nigerian human-interest stories.
The show focused on the injustices suffered by Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable members, such as women and children. The show was syndicated on national television.
The first show she anchored was called MITV Live, produced by Segun Odegbami and Tunde Kelani. She also explored her deep passion for sports, entering the world of sports journalism. She worked on a documentary for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, and she covered the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the All Africa Games in Zimbabwe, as well as the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games in Sydney and Athens.
Armed with the experience gained during the era of Good Morning Nigeria, Funmi sought a bigger platform to reach people, and in 2000, she began producing and hosting the programme New Dawn.
New Dawn with Funmi started in 2000 and ran daily on NTA 10 Lagos. The success of the show made it the longest-running independently produced show on NTA. New Dawn gave birth to the “Change-A-Life” social intervention project. Over the years, Change-A-Life has affected the lives of many children and people through its scholarship, healthcare, counselling, and microfinance intervention scheme. The scholarship scheme supports 98 children.
Funmi has also written regular columns in Tempo Magazine and Farafina Magazine. She has also written for PM NEWS, The Punch, Daily Trust, and Vanguard Newspapers.
In 2010, after a two-year hiatus, she returned to the silver screen with Talk with Funmi (TWF), a groundbreaking television show directed by Chris Dada. Talk With Funmi journeys through Nigeria, from state to state, capturing people and conversations around the country. It is a thought-provoking, illuminating, and entertaining journey into the lives of Nigerians from all over the country. The show talks to people everywhere—from ordinary citizens going about their business to celebrities in unusual but natural settings.
Funmi is the CEO of Ignite Media, a content-driven media organization operating out of Lagos.
READ – You Would Not Believe Funmi Iyanda Once Struggled With Self Esteem Issues
Achievements
In 2011, she was honored as a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum and was recently named one of Forbes’ 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa.
In 2012, Funmi Iyanda and her creative partner Chris Dada released Chopcassava.com, an innovative web series documenting the January 2012 fuel subsidy protests that took place in Lagos, Nigeria. A web series, because it could not be aired on Nigerian TV, the series presents an insider view of the Lagos protests, in which people of all classes took to the streets demanding a reversal of the 117% hike in petrol prices.
Chopcassava.com was nominated in the non-fiction web series category at the 2012 BANFF World Media Festival in Alberta, Canada.
An innovator in her sphere, Funmi has won tremendous recognition for her work in the media and for her humanitarian and philanthropic interventions. She is an African Leadership Institute Tutu Fellow and a participant of the Aspen Institute’s Forum for Communications and Society.
In 2012, she was honoured by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, for her commitment to gender advocacy as she returned from a five-day UN advocacy trek.
