Bimbo Oloyede is a distinguished Nigerian Veteran broadcaster, communication specialist, trainer, author, entrepreneur and development advocate whose career has spanned more than five decades. Through broadcasting, education, media production and development initiatives, she has made a significant contribution to Nigeria’s media and communication landscape.
She was born on 15 March 1954 in London, United Kingdom, to Inspector Melville Roberts of the Nigeria Police Force and Mrs. Pamela Roberts. She began her education at St. Saviour’s School, Ikoyi, Lagos, before travelling to England in 1962 to attend Weirfield School in Taunton, Somerset. During her nine years at the school, she excelled in music, drama, public speaking and other extracurricular activities. In her Upper Sixth year, she became Head Girl, making history as the first Black girl to hold the position in a private English school.
After obtaining six O Levels and three A Levels, she attended Pitman Secretarial College in London and later the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she studied sound, lighting, set design and costume in preparation for a career in stage management. She returned to Nigeria in 1974.
Oloyede began her broadcasting career in 1975 as an Assistant Producer in the Drama Department of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation Television. In 1976, she became a pioneer member of the NTA Network News team and made history as the first woman to cast Network News on Nigerian Television. She subsequently worked as a sub-editor and newscaster. In 1977, she was selected to anchor the opening broadcast of FESTAC ’77, the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture.
In 1981, she co-founded Media International Enterprises Ltd., a radio and television production company, with her husband, the late television producer and director Tunde Oloyede. The company produced several notable television commercials and trained many media professionals. She also co-founded Pomp Supermarket and later established Strictly Speaking, an educational consultancy specialising in communication and public speaking.
From 2002 to 2017, Oloyede served as consultant, news anchor and trainer at Channels Television in Lagos, anchoring hundreds of news bulletins. She subsequently became an instructor at The Channels Academy. For nearly three decades, she has trained broadcasters, journalists, diplomats, students, teachers and corporate executives in elocution, public speaking, presentation and communication skills.
Her development work includes founding the Women’s Optimum Development Foundation (WODEF) in 1999. She collaborated with organisations such as UNFPA, UN Women, UNDP, USAID, the British Council and the Ford Foundation on projects addressing gender equality, gender-based violence and development communication. In 2024, she launched the Lifeline and Development Initiative to support cancer research and oncology services.
She is the author of the Strictly Speaking Book Series: Pronunciation Made Easy, and An Oral Guide for Schools and Colleges, and also Command Your Stage. Collectively focusing on Pronunciation and Presentation. Her contributions have earned her numerous honours, including a Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalistic Excellence from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the Legacy in Motion Award from Women in Film and Television (Africa)– WIFT
In 2026, a Festschrift titled Communication and Media in Nigeria: Celebrating Bimbo Oloyede’s Contribution to Five Decades of Theory, Practice and Transformation was published in her honour, celebrating her remarkable contribution to broadcasting, communication, education and national development.
