A Tribute To Edmund Obilo
BABAFEMI OJUDU
There are broadcasters—and then there is Edmund Obilo.
He is as compelling as a morning shower: refreshing, steady, and impossible to ignore. For those who love interviews that dive beneath the skin of events, personalities, and epochs, Obilo provides a masterclass. In today’s crowded media landscape, where noise often overshadows clarity, he stands out as one of the few who understand the sacred craft of inquiry.
Obilo brings out the very best in his subjects. One day he’s conversing with scholars who have spent their lives excavating knowledge; another day he’s with civil-war commanders, coup participants, journalists, or political actors who once shaped the Nigerian story. No matter the guest, the outcome is the same: a conversation rich in context, dense with insight, and delivered with a grace that makes learning irresistible. Obilo doesnt hug the limelight , he digs for the underbelly.
A Mind Built for Inquiry
Part of what makes Obilo extraordinary is the architecture of his mind—an uncommon fusion of engineering precision, political insight, artistic sensibility, and communication science. His educational journey—spanning Electronics and Electrical Engineering, International Relations and Politics, Theatre Arts, and advanced degrees in both Communication & Language Arts and Political Science—has crafted a thinker who approaches interviews like a historian, listens like a philosopher, and probes like a seasoned investigator.
This eclectic background gives his work its distinctive colour. When Obilo asks a question, it feels engineered for accuracy, yet layered with political nuance and delivered with the performance rhythm of theatre. This is why his interviews with figures like Alabi Isama, the civil-war strategist, or soldiers caught in the whirlwind of the Orkar Coup, are not merely conversations—they are living documents.
The Craft Behind the Magic
Those who know Obilo’s journey will understand that his brilliance didn’t emerge from thin air. He honed his craft at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, refined it at Splash FM where he rose to become Director of Production, and expanded his canvas through work across Inspiration FM, Rave FM, and now Bilficom Media and Systems, where he directs research and programmes.
Alongside broadcasting, he teaches media at Dominican University in Ibadan, adding the discipline of scholarship to the fire of practice. This dual position—teacher and practitioner—shows in the intellectual weight he brings to every conversation. When you sit before him in that modest Ibadan studio, you are met not just by a broadcaster but by a man who has steeped himself in knowledge. His simplicity disarms you; his depth anchors you.
Many nights I have found myself wide awake, held captive by his storytelling. He romanticizes history—not falsely, but in a way that makes it breathe. He draws out narratives hidden in old wounds, dusty archives, and forgotten moments. And yet his tone remains warm, humane, even gentle.
A Lone Star—But Not Entirely Lone
In an era when journalism has lost much of its excitement, Obilo shines brightly. Perhaps only one other contemporary stands beside him in that constellation—Bamidele Adeyanju of Agbaletu, whose X-ray of music and its icons is unmatched. That both men work out of Ibadan—the once glorious capital of Nigerian journalism—is a charming irony. They are, in many ways, restoring the city’s lost honour.
Holding Power to Account, One Question at a Time
Obilo is not just a conversationalist; he is a public thinker. He has been described, at various times, as a “thorn in the flesh” of unserious politicians, a persistent questioner of power, and a defender of public memory. His political talk programme State Affairs has long been a forum where Nigeria’s governance is interrogated with calm intensity.
Why Edmund Obilo Matters Now
At a time when YouTube has democratized broadcasting—where the profound and the trivial jostle for the same screen—Edmund Obilo is a breath of fresh air. He reminds us what journalism is meant to be: thoughtful, researched, intelligent, compassionate, and deeply rooted in public purpose.
His work elevates the national conversation. His scholarship deepens it. His humility makes it beautiful.
Nigeria needs more Edmund Obilos. Until then, we celebrate this one—a broadcaster who turns history into melody, interviews into archives, and conversations into monuments.
He is, without question, a national treasure.
