Blessing Tunoh is from Mbula tribe in Demsa Adamawa State, born of a military father and a church mother.
She obtained a diploma in information management and technology from MAUTECH Yola, and a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Maiduguri in 2006.
Right from childhood it was almost compulsory at home to watch the 7 and 9 o’clock news, because of this she began to admire the newscasters and wanted to be like them. She started reading newspaper, news magazine and she started writing short articles. Choosing a career in journalism became easier for her.
Her first reporting job was in May 2007, with the local newspaper called ‘the viewer’ in Yola as a pioneer reporter and that was where her grooming started, in 2008 she moved to People’s Daily Newspaper as a pioneer state correspondent in Adamawa. In 2012 she took interest in broadcast journalism and she luckily got a place in TV Gotel until 2015 when she moved to Borno state to represent channels TV.
She covered several beats giving the time and location, in Yola she covered Politics and Judiciary, and State Government, Women and Gender issues e.t.c. presently her focus is on Security, State Government, Humanitarian Crises and health related issues. The favorite of all the beats centers on women and children because of their vulnerability in conflict and non-conflict situation, because she is a conflict/gender sensitive journalist.
She said, Politics and Security/conflict zone reporting are the most challenging of the beats, politics because it is chaotic especially for a female journalist gaining confidence through balanced reporting, and on security exposure to the threat.
On her experiences, she said some days are smooth other days rough, but in all these situations she had no regrets whatsoever ‘the privilege to step out of all the drama going around you to analyze situations with an omniscient eye is priceless’.
The passion for the job has driven her thus far also the push by her father. Being her only competition she thrives to be a better version of herself. She has enjoyed a lot of training opportunities.
Her advice to upcoming journalist is that they must define their purpose in life and make their choices carefully but deliberately so they are not left behind.
Social Media Handles
Facebook: Blessing Tunoh
Twitter: @blecyntunoh
Instagram: bfactor_solutions
Links to my stories
Boko Haram Insurgency: Tears Of Joy As Eight Minors Reunite With Families