Alexander Chinedu Okere holds a Bachelor of Art Degree in Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka .
There, Okere was in charge of the Campus Magazine as Editor in Chief and also TV Documentary Producer /Presenter.
An experienced Journalist, digital, corporate communication, content creation and media research, Okere Is a Senior Correspondent of the Punch Newspaper, Weekend Titles, involved in research, trending events and generating story ideas
He had served as Correspondent of the Newspaper in Edo State between 2014 and 2018..
Okere’s feature story titled ” Inside Edo, Ogun Communities Where Battered Returnees Save Youths From Migration.” was prompted by One of the Returnees turned Priest in Edo State who occasionally clutched microphone prancing at market squares and street corners preaching about dangers of embarking on desperate journeys to Europe.
Nigerians are among the Over 29,000 Migrants who had entered Europe through the Mediterranean Sea in 2021 alone, Okere quoting a Data from the International Organization for Migration.
The Report tells a picturesque story about the horrid experiences of unemployed youths from the region who risked their lives to Europe through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea in search of the greener pasture, but ended up in slave camps where they suffer torture, rape, harvest of vital organs and other forms of inhuman treatment, including human trafficking.
The scared Returnees, through their Community Campaigns, leverage their sad experiences to dissuade their compatriots from embarking on similar journeys into what Okere terms as “Valley Of The Shadow of Death”.
The story featured narratives of the Returnees and other youths as well as the National Emergency Management Agency, the International Organization for Migration and the Psychologist who assessed the impact of such trips in the health and pysche of the youths and how involvement of the victims in the campaigns, is helping to reduce the influx of young Nigerians into Europe through unlawful channels.
A Recipient of the European Union IOM Award for Migration Reporting and Nigerian Merit Award, Ibrahim Shekarau Prize For Education Reporter of 2021 Nominee, Okere, you have added another feather through your indepth Feature story.
You dwarfed others to clinch the 2nd Runner Up in the AMDF 2022 Journalist Of The Year Award. CONGRATULATIONS.
