Our Comms Spotlight for this week began his journey on the set of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Children’s Variety programme, where a childhood fascination with presenters and cameras sparked a lifelong interest in storytelling. Today, Aor leads Strategic Communications efforts that give visibility to global health supply chain projects in Nigeria, from producing compelling knowledge products to navigating multi-stakeholder campaigns. Aor is passionate about impacting the next generation of Communicators and his interview with us shares some practical tips to help young professionals on their career journeys.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Communications?
It all started when my parents would take us to the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) to be part of a programme called Children’s Variety, which was recorded twice a month and aired on the station. I loved to see the camera-men, and how the programme’s presenters ensured we looked good for the programme.
I remember asking one of the hosts how I could become like her, and she said, you can aspire to be a journalist. When I got into the university, I realised that Journalism was just a sub-sect of a broad spectra of Mass Communication. At Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, we had to take all the courses without any area of specialisation back in the day.
What do you do in your role as Senior Manager for Learning and Strategic Communications at Chemonics?
My day-to-day task at Chemonics revolves around supporting the gathering, editing, producing, and distributing, through channels, content such as stories, technical reports, imagery and other communication products that provide visibility and support the implementation of the Global Health Supply Chain-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project in Nigeria.
How have you stayed passionate about your career over the years?
What keeps me passionate about my career is the impact of effective communication on real-world change. Whether it’s shifting public behaviour, amplifying community voices, or supporting life-saving health campaigns, I’ve seen how the right message, delivered the right way, can truly make a difference.
Over the years, I’ve stayed passionate by thriving on creativity and continuous learning, whether exploring new digital tools, refining SBCC strategies, or collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
Seeing a campaign/communication product go from concept to measurable impact fuels me, and being able to tell those stories—truthfully and powerfully—keeps me inspired every day.
How do you balance long-term career goals with the day-to-day demands of your role?
Balancing long-term career goals with the day-to-day demands of my role as a Senior Manager for Learning and Strategic Communications requires discipline and strategic alignment. I stay focused on my broader career path by ensuring that my current work builds the competencies required at that level, such as high-level stakeholder engagement, cross-sectoral communication planning, and evidence-based advocacy.
While managing immediate priorities like content development, knowledge product dissemination, or leading strategic learning sessions, I also proactively seek out opportunities to invest in continuous learning, staying updated on emerging tools and donor priorities, so I’m always evolving in step with the sector. In essence, I see each project or challenge not just as a task, but as a step toward my long-term vision.
Tell us about a challenge you’ve faced on your professional journey and how you overcame it.
One of the most significant challenges I faced was leading the documentation and visibility efforts for a multi-stakeholder livelihoods project with tight deadlines and fragmented inputs across multiple implementing partners. Each partner had different expectations and timelines, which created bottlenecks
To address this, I initiated a structured coordination mechanism: I developed a unified content calendar and set up bi-weekly content alignment meetings, which allowed us to clarify expectations, avoid duplication, and streamline feedback loops. I also created a shared platform with well-curated templates for success stories, case studies, and photo documentation, which greatly improved the consistency and speed of inputs.
As a result, we not only met our deadlines, but the quality of our deliverables improved significantly. This experience reinforced the value of proactive stakeholder engagement and agile communication planning, especially in complex development environments.
What advice do you have for Comms professionals in the early days of their careers?
Start small and aspire for greatness. With the current reality of unemployment, take advantage of volunteering positions, internships and other capacity-building platforms like Comms Avenue to build your capacity and network connections.
