Funso Aina: An innovative PR Maven
By Kabir Abdulsalam
In January 2009, MTN Nigeria, the Nigerian telecommunication giant, appointed Funso Aina as its External Communications Officer.
Aina is a distinguished public relations practitioner of sterling quality with varied competencies and hands-on experience in public relations, corporate communications, media relations, public affairs, perception/stakeholder/reputation/issues, and crisis management.
Career Trajectory
Funso Aina is a Nigerian journalist specializing in telecommunications and cultural diplomacy.
Aina began his journalistic career in 1996 as a reporter with Independent Communications Network Limited (ICNL), publisher of PM News, The News, and Tempo magazines after which he was promoted to the position of Senior Reporter in 1997.
He become a Fellow of the prestigious US State Department’s International Visitors Programme (IVP) in 2003 and the British Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) due to the remarkable reportorial skills he possessed. He was a Chief Correspondent at Punch newspapers and rose to the newspaper’s Abuja bureau to cover the Aso Rock Presidential Villa until 2005.
He was hired as a Communications Manager of the British Council in 2008 and left after a few years to join Vintage Press (publishers of the Nation Newspapers) as an Assistant Editor.
Aina, a well-rounded individual with a unique blend of skills and expertise was born in 1969 in Kano. He was the first son of a family of five brothers and married with three children.
Education
In 1992, he graduated from the University of Ilorin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He proceeded to obtain a Master’s degree in International Relations from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in 1998. He is an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
As a highly accomplished communication expert, he has demonstrated strong communication skills and a keen understanding of the Nigerian media landscape. With a high degree of tact, diplomacy, and strategic thinking. He was able to navigate complex relationships with government officials, business partners, and other stakeholders at MTN Nigeria.
Awards
Funso Aina is a recipient of several outstanding honors, especially in Public Relations and communication. He was the Best Communication Specialist (Telecoms) award from the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria, the LaPRiga Award for ‘Best in Crisis Management in 2021, and again in 2022, both awarded by NIPR, Lagos state chapter.
As a spokesperson with tentacles across the globe, his crafts, creativity, and ingenuity have been recognized globally. Hence, his work in cultural diplomacy suggests that he has a strong interest in promoting cross-cultural understanding and cooperation. This may indicate curiosity and openness to new ideas and perspectives, as well as an ability to bridge differences and find common ground.
Given his extensive experience in the telecommunications industry, Aina also possesses a strong understanding of the technical aspects of this field. He has a keen eye for emerging trends and technologies, and the ability to anticipate and adapt to changing market conditions.
His interest in cultural diplomacy suggests that he has a deep appreciation for the diversity of human experience and a commitment to promoting mutual understanding and respect across different cultures. This may be reflected in his personal qualities, such as empathy, curiosity, and a willingness to listen to others. These qualities would be highly valuable and have yielded results in his current position, where he needs to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders and ensure that MTN Nigeria’s message is conveyed clearly and effectively.
On Thursday, March 23, 2023, Aina was honored as “Innovator of the Year” in the brands’ category at the highly respected SABRE IN2 awards, at PRovoke EMEA Summit in Gesellschaftshaus Palmengarten Frankfurt, Germany.
He emerged atop across Europe, the Middle East, and the African region (EMEA).
The awards recognise excellent work that highlights the expanding scope of the PR profession, from content creation to the evaluation process using data and analytics to inform, enhance and evaluate campaign successes across the globe.
While reciting his citation, the CEO & Editor-in-chief, PRovoke Media, Arun Sudhaman said, the award is a testament to Funso’s trailblazing efforts in media relations, through MTN Nigeria’s Media Innovation Programme (MIP).
The initiative is a six-month certificate programme for Nigerian media practitioners to increase the knowledge and skill base of the participants, help them understand the changing media landscape, and how to effectively use technology to create impactful media content in the country and Africa at large.
Sudhaman noted that during the study, 20 media practitioners from various media sectors engaged in capacity-building sessions to stir up their innovations and improve ways of practice to create sustainability in the industry.
“This was apparent in their study trip to the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, where the participants engaged in interactive sessions on creativity and innovation, explored opportunities in the media business and brainstormed on solutions to some of the challenges to successfully running media businesses in Africa.
Last year, he also won the certificate of excellence at the Spokesperson’s Communication Award (SCA) for The Digital Skills for Digital Jobs programmatic approach.
Interests
He has a wide variety of musical tastes. He enjoys genres of music such as Jazz, Soul, Higher Life, R&B, Blues, Agidigbo, Dadakuada, Awurebe, and Juju. Additionally, he enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, and watching movies.
