Wole Adamolekun, PhD
Professor of Mass Communication, Elizade University, Nigeria
Abstract
This article presents a reflective and analytical account of a professional life shaped by communication, research, public relations, and strategic management across journalism, public service, community banking, oil and gas administration, and academia. Drawing from early exposure to writing and journalism, through national social mobilisation, rural financial intermediation, and executive leadership in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, the article demonstrates how communication—when reinforced by ethics, research competence, work culture, and networking—functions as strategic capital. The narrative culminates in an academic career dedicated to teaching, research, mentoring and professional institution-building. The article is both scholarly and inspirational, offering young professionals a practical philosophy of career development anchored in communication, integrity, and lifelong learning.
1. Introduction: Communication as a Life Infrastructure
Careers are rarely linear, but they are often coherent when viewed through the prism of underlying competencies. In my own professional journey, spanning over four decades across journalism, public service, financial intermediation, oil and gas administration, and academia, communication has functioned not merely as a tool but as infrastructure—supporting research, leadership, negotiation skills, policy implementation, and institutional credibility.
This article is not offered as a celebration of individual achievement, but as an instructional narrative for young professionals navigating an increasingly complex professional ecosystem. Its central argument is simple yet profound: communication, when grounded in research, ethics, and disciplined work culture, consistently delivers superior outcomes across sectors and contexts.
2. Foundations: Early Exposure to Writing and Journalism
My professional orientation was formed early through writing, reading, and disciplined observation. As a campus journalist and later freelance writer, I functioned variously as editor, reporter, columnist, interviewer, and reviewer across literary and cultural forms. This phase was characterised by intellectual curiosity, voluntary service, and mentorship under accomplished scholars and writers, including Professors Ladipo Adamolekun and Kole Omotoso, among others.
Two principles emerged decisively at this stage. First, writing is inseparable from thinking; clarity of expression reflects clarity of thought. Second, early professional growth requires a de-emphasis on immediate financial reward in favour of skill acquisition, resilience, and intellectual range. Journalism, in this sense, became both a discipline and a training ground for research, analysis, and ethical judgment.
3. Youth Service and the Institutionalization of Research
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) marked a decisive professional turning point. Appointed as Corps Public Relations Officer at a time when the role was largely undefined, I expanded its scope by integrating research into institutional communication. This included initiating the organisation’s first in-house research activities and coordinating studies such as the NYSC 10th Anniversary research project.
Beyond formal communication responsibilities, I accepted administrative and committee roles that broadened my managerial competence. Simultaneously, I pursued postgraduate education and editorial work, reinforcing the principle that professional advancement is best sustained through continuous learning. Here, communication evolved from message dissemination to institutional knowledge production.
4. Social and Political Mobilisation: Communication at the Grassroots
My subsequent engagement in nationwide social mobilisation and political communication confronted one of the most enduring questions in development practice: How can you mobilize a hungry population? This phase involved grassroots political education, stakeholder engagement, international liaison, and an extensive 72-day nationwide mobilisation campaign that employed music, culture, and community dialogue. In attempting to answer this question, Nigeria embraced community banking which today ahs transmuted into microfinance banks.
The visit of President Nelson Mandela to Nigeria in 1990 symbolized the international dimension of this work. More importantly, the experience demonstrated that communication without empathy, socio-economic awareness, and contextual intelligence is ineffective. Mobilisation succeeds only when communication resonates with lived realities.
5. Community Banking and Rural Financial Intermediation
The transition into rural banking and community financial systems further deepened my engagement with applied research. As a coordinator of research on rural banking and a member of the Community Banking Implementation Committee, I examined comparative models including the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and rural banking structures in Ghana.
This work contributed to the evolution of Nigeria’s third-tier banking sector—from community banks to microfinance banks—and underscored the strategic value of research-driven communication in policy design and implementation. Accelerated professional advancement during this period was directly attributable to the ability to translate research findings into actionable institutional frameworks.
6. Oil and Gas Sector: Strategic Communication at the Highest Level
Perhaps the most publicly visible phase of my career was in Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas sector. Communication competence and research capability led to my being headhunted into the sector during a period of liberalization and deregulation. I served as Pioneer General Manager (Corporate Services), Interim Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, and later as General Manager overseeing both Operations and Corporate Services.
This period involved managing subsidy removal, labour relations, stakeholder negotiations, and intense public scrutiny. The experience confirmed that crisis communication is fundamentally about trust, credibility, and ethical consistency, not mere media management. Retention and advancement during periods of institutional restructuring were ultimately anchored in professional integrity.
7. Academia: Knowledge Transmission and Institution Building
Post-retirement from public service, academia became the platform for consolidating experience into teaching, research, and mentorship. My academic specialisations include strategic communication, corporate social responsibility, crisis communication, tourism communication, and applied communication. Since delivering my first international conference paper in Burkina Faso in 1989, I have authored public relations books, co-authored book chapters, and published extensively in peer-reviewed journals.
Beyond scholarship, academic leadership roles—ranging from Head of Department and Dean to Director of Academic Planning—have reinforced the principle that universities are not merely sites of instruction but institutions of governance and service.
8. Professionalism, Ethics, and Networks
Professional growth is never solitary. Active engagement with professional bodies such as the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, African Public Relations Association, Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, and others has been central to my career. Ethics has proven decisive. In multiple institutional transitions, ethical consistency—not political convenience—was the basis for professional retention, trust and career advancement.
As John Crinsford observed, professionalism requires institutions. Networks, when grounded in competence and integrity, extend professional reach nationally and globally.
9. Lessons for Young Professionals: Communication That Delivers
From this trajectory, several enduring lessons emerge:
- Ideas shape institutions and societies
- Reputation is cumulative and fragile
- Research strengthens persuasion
- Ethics sustains leadership
- Networking must be intentional and reciprocal
- Continuous learning is non-negotiable
- Communication is strategic capital, not ornamentation
The destination for many professionals may be the boardroom or executive leadership, but the journey is built incrementally through competence, humility, and service.
10. Conclusion: Being in the Know
The rare privilege of rising to the apex of public service and academia is not accidental. It is the outcome of disciplined communication, research literacy, ethical conduct, and an enduring commitment to excellence. To young professionals, my message is unequivocal: when communication is backed by skills, knowledge, and work culture, it consistently produces superlative results.
To be effective is to be informed. To be influential is to communicate responsibly. Ultimately, success belongs to those who remain in the know—and who communicate with purpose.
Author Contact
Wole Adamolekun, PhD
Professor of Mass Communication, Elizade University, Nigeria
Email: wole.adamolekun@elizadeuniversity.edu.ng
Website: https://woleadamolekun.com.ng