Quintessential Broadcaster, LARA OWOEYE-WISE Is Here Completely Captured!!

Lara D’Wise as I would refer to her in my closet is an accomplished Journalist, seasoned Broadcaster, frontline Producer, Researcher, Author and Multiple Award Winner with Over Twenty Years in the Media Industry.

Lara was at various times in The Punch and AM NEWS-Newspapers, TEMPO and THE NEWS Magazines between 1993 and 2004 as a reporter and writer.

She crossed over to the Electronic Media in 2004, where she worked at the SILVERBIRD TELEVISION as one of the founding staff of the newsroom and was a reporter and news editor there.

She moved over to MINAJ BROADCAST INTERNATIONAL (MBI) as a reporter, presenter and head, reportorial and was part of the theme that resuscitated the then broadcast outfit and in one year, the station clinched the STATION OF THE YEAR AWARD.

She was with the AFRICA INDEPENDENT TELEVISION, AIT as Deputy Head of Presentation before her voluntary retirement to pick up as appointment as Special Assistant, Media to the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives.

Lara has had a professional work stint with the Voice of America, Washignton DC and the KSTP channel 5 in Minnesota.

FEATS ACHIEVED IN THE MEDIA

It is apt to say that Investigative Reporting is her turf; this is evident in the quality of her daring stories and reports.

During the inglorious reign of Late General Sani Abacha government, at a point, she remained the only female journalist in the TEMPO and THE NEWS Magazines, that was churning out exclusive reports and expose’ on the activities and dastardly plans of the infamous regime. She was harassed, beaten and barely survived death during the period.

Her exclusive Investigative Report on the Illegal Pipeline Vandalism at Ilado, a riverine Lagos surburb prevented major fire incident.

 

She is the only Nigerian journalist to sneak into the IKOYI Prisons for an exclusive interview with the then incarcerated man-eating ‘Clifford Orji’. Thank God the man no CHOP our LARA ooo.

Her exclusive report exposing the lies of a Church that laid claim to HIV/AIDS and Cancer cure, was one of the high-points of her career. Angered by her expose’, it was revealed later (by one of the founding fathers of the said Church; who defected), that the Church hired an assassin who trailed her for months; with the sole aim of killing her.

FELOWSHIP/ASSOCIATION

Fellow, International Centre for Journalism, Washington DC, USA

Member, Board of Trustees, International Centre for Investigative Reporting

Member, THE PEARL AWARDS

Member, CNN iReporters

AWARDS

Over the years, she has won numerous Awards for Excellence, Creativity, Courageous and Selfless Service.

Some of these Awards include (but not limited to);-

TV Reporter of the Year, 2005

Lagos State Health Reporter of the Year, 2006

Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism, 2006. (First Nigerian female journalist to win the award in the TV category).

The Wise Women Award, 2013

PUBLICATION

She is the author of LOL... ‘‘Lessons Of Life’’ with Lara.

SERVICE IN THE KINGDOM

Lara loves God dearly, and committed to service in His Kingdom.

An ordained worker in the Living Faith Church.

A Praise and Worship Leader, and member of the Church Choir.

OUTREACH/HUMANITARIAN SERVICE

She is the Executive Director of TIMILEHIN HOPE FOUNDATION.

A non-profit organization that caters for TEENAGE MOTHERS in RURAL AREAS, who dropped out of/abandon school due to early pregnancy. The Foundation provides EDUCATION, HEALTH and COUNSELLING SERVICES, Free of Charge/At No Cost, to these Teenage Mothers.

Lara is a counsellor. A life coach and mentor.

SHE HAS INTEREST IN THE FOLLOWING:

She loves;- Writing, Gardening, Talking, Cooking, Reading, Laughing, Music, Helping People, Meeting People, Mentoring.

Let me add here that Ma’am Lara Owoye-Wise’s down to EARTHEDNESS (if there is any word in the English dictionary like this) is something very infectious.

Call her for any issue at all, she is ever willing and ready to listen to you and not only that, she would provide solutions to any challenge at all you might be facing at the time and then, do follow-ups on you.

Whoever says that SEEDS don’t germinate should go jump the lagoons as Lara Wise has sown and is still sowing and her reward will be more SEEDS from God to sow.

I must say without mincing words that where she is right now is definitely not where I would want her to be, but this is a step in the right direction, as she has move in, there is no returning for her till she gets there.

YOUR MORNING HASN’T BROKEN YET, when it breaks, HMMMMMM, the earth will hear it.