A Nigerian Sports Journalist Opens Doors

Tega Onojaife is a sports producer and presenter for Smooth 98.1 FM Radio and the founder of the Ladies in Sport Conference. She seeks to create sports leadership and journalism opportunities for girls and women in Nigeria.

Born and raised in Lagos, Tega was a mischievous girl and was often in trouble with her parents for misbehaving. Her punishment was to sit quietly in time out beside her dad, who would often watch boxing—a punishment she soon came to enjoy. Before long, Tega fell in love with the sport, and later soccer and tennis. After completing university, she began her career as an investment portfolio manager. However, the allure of sports was still strong, and after four years she quit and took a training course in television and radio presentation with Mark Eddo Consulting.

Beginning her sports journalism career as a soccer pundit, Tega was soon covering live broadcasts of the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and Africa Cup of Nations. In 12 years, she has covered nearly every major soccer event and served as one of a small number of female pioneers in the Nigerian sports journalism, joining the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) and serving as secretary of the Events  Committee  of  the  Sports  Writers  Association  of  Nigeria.

In 2016, Tega founded the Ladies in Sports Conference, a yearly conference networking female sports professionals in Nigeria. The conference has grown to include more than 120 participants, including registrants from Kenya, Ethiopia and Zambia, and has gained international recognition by forming partnerships with La Liga in Spain and Women in Football in the United Kingdom. By 2020, Tega would like to expand the conference from a one-day event centered around gender to a three-day sports business forum, exposing businesses to the emerging market of women’s sports.

Through her participation in the GSMP, Tega has begun to create a platform where coaches, athletes, administrators, and policymakers in African sport can meet with corporations and private businesses to form mutually beneficial strategic partnerships.

Tega earned a bachelor’s degree in physics education from Lagos State University. Her favorite academic subject was government, as she always aspired to leadership. Tega’s favorite color is blue, and she enjoys relaxing to music.