By Sandrine Wyrich

A Nigerian proverb says: “It is the first step that is difficult.” Ajua Yankey, or short AJ, took a big step when she decided to enrol for a postgraduate degree abroard.

Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, she opted to look elsewhere to fulfil her professional ambitions. “Down here we have limited opportunities. I cannot get what I really want here.”

Having started her course earlier this month, AJ is now an MA Broadcast Journalism student with the University of the West of Scotland.

Although she is a fresher in the field, AJ knows where she wants her career to go: “I’ve always loved radio because it is more of a background thing”.

While other journalists aspire to be at the centre of their practice, AJ prefers the anonymity of being off-screen: “I want people to wonder what this person looks like, who this voice is”.

Her chosen career path in radio aligns perfectly with one of her greatest passions: music. “Music is the food of the soul. I’m not restricted to any genre of music, music is music to me.”

Nigeria is one of the up and coming nations in global journalism – and it is safe to say that AJ will be at the heart of it.