Japheth J. Omojuwa
Japheth Joshua Omojuwa is a Nigerian writer, political commentator and social media expert. A columnist with The Punch newspaper, Leadership newspaper and Naij.com, Omojuwa's articles have appeared on CNN, This Day and other platforms. His works have been translated into German, French, Portuguese and Greek.
Career
Omojuwa has been a regular guest at several conferences and symposiums.The leadership of the African Union invited Omojuwa in 2014 to be part of the Africa Re-imagination Creative Hub to fashion an agenda for Africa 2063 project. He participated as a panelist at a side event during the 2013 United Nations General Assembly in New York City where he spoke on the need to use data and facts as tools in activism and policy making. He was also appointed as a board member of Halifax.
Omojuwa's pieces have appeared on several online and print mediums including Metropole Magazine, Opinion Nigeria, Sahara Reporters, BBC, The Financial Times, ThisDay and Naij. In 2019 Omojuwa published the book Digital: The New Code of Wealth.
Controversies
Omojuwa was involved in a protracted battle with Arik Air after losing an iPad while on board one of its domestic flights in July 2012. In addition, a new iPad was purchased for Omojuwa.On 4 March 2017, South African border police authorities held Omojuwa alongside a Nigerian student for several hours. He was released after intervention from Nigerian authorities. In a tweet he wrote that "South African border officials are holding me because of my Nigerian passport".
In February 2016, Omojuwa delved into an intense controversy with Ben Bruce on Twitter when the latter criticized President Buhari for his statement about Nigerians being unwelcome in Britain because of crime.
Omojuwa's PR firm, Alpha Reach, reportedly hired around forty Nigerian influencers as part of a campaign to promote the release of Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman fighting extradition to the United States on money laundering charges.
On 14 April 2021, a former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, petitioned Nigeria's acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali, requesting him to investigate Omojuwa for alleged fraudulent use of her name and identity as a director of his PR firm, Alpha Reach Limited. Mrs Ezekwesili's request followed Omojuwa's claim that she consented before enlisting her as a director of the PR firm, allegedly paid to promote a social media campaign for the release of Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab.