Mercy Abang-Asu

Abang Mercy (born Mercy Banku Abang in 1984 and now Mercy Banku Abang-Asu) is a Nigerian journalist, environmental consultant and social media expert. She has gone on several election observation missions on the West African sub-continent. She has an interview series, "Conversations with Abang Mercy", which has had guests such as Reno Omokri, Dele Momodu and Chude Jideonwo.

In 2012, she was named as one of 10 Young Nigerian Women to Watch.^[1] She is currently a consultant with the Heinrich Böll Foundation,^[2] and Managing Editor of the online newspaper Citizens Platform.^[3] She hails from Boki, Cross River State, Nigeria.

Background

Mercy was born in Ogoja, a neighbouring town to Boki. Her childhood was divided between there and Abuja where her parents eventually moved to. She studied at Holy Child (Convent) Primary School and later at Holy Child Secondary School (Mount Carmel), both in Igoli- Ogoja.

After that, she moved to Abuja with her parents to continue at Gwarinpa Secondary School, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and later proceeded to the International Institute of Journalism to study Journalism, concluding with a Post-Graduate in Advertising and Public Relations.^[1]

Recently, she studied Digital Story Telling at the Grimme-Institut in Bonn, Germany and had in the past studied Media in Peace Keeping Operations and Elections Observation at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Center in Accra, Ghana.^[1]

Career

She started her work on television – as a political correspondent with Independent Television and Radio, Abuja – at a very young age, saddled with the responsibility of covering the political parties and the electoral commission. She became knowledgeable in Nigeria's politics and election matters. At ITV Abuja, she worked as a non-linear editor, presentation director and producer. One of the programs produced was This Morning on ITV, a breakfast show.

In the past, she has worked with her fellow African youths and civil societies organisations in lobbying and advocacy, organisations like Oxfam GB Nigeria, West African Civil Society Forum, Heinrich Boell Foundation amongst others. She has also been a stringer for the Associated Press and a fixer for the Sunday Times of London, the BBC World Service Trust amongst others.

In the course of her work with Heinrich Boll Foundation, she has done articles and presentations on Nigeria's environmental situation and postulations for the future^{[4][5][6][7][8]} in several Nigerian cities including Lagos, Abuja^[9] and even internationally, in Berlin and London.^[10][11][12]

At age 20, she represented Nigeria alongside other influential Africans lobbying against the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) with the European Union and the African and Caribbean Countries (ACP) in Senegal and the Gambia.

Mercy worked as a media assistant to then Cross River State Governor Donald Duke, during his presidential campaigns on the platform of the Donald Duke Campaign Organization.

In 2014, she was invited to the African Union's Third Annual High Level Dialogue on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance in Africa; Trends, Challenges and Prospects that held at Nairobi’s Safari Park - a meet with participants from over 40 African countries.^[13][14] In March 2015, Mercy alongside international journalist, Kadaria Ahmed of the BBC, hosted Nigerians to a 2-hour live television town hall meeting with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega in Abuja.

Also, in the run up to the 2015 elections in September 2014, Mercy anchored a Lagos meeting with young people where she interviewed Nigeria's Former Vice President and a presidential aspirant in the election, Atiku Abubakar.

She contributes to other media like YNaija^[15] and EcoJournalism.^[16]

Advocacy

Mercy is a member of the advocacy coalition, Enough is Enough Nigeria founded by Chude Jideonwo, serving at one time in the capacity of Communications Coordinator.^[17][18] Under EiE, she organised and facilitated town hall and campus hall meetings for young Nigerians in the six (6) geo-political zones of Nigeria, educating them about the electoral process and getting them informed about the country's electoral laws. As a public speaker and commentator, she has motivated youths in and outside Nigeria.

As a young African entrepreneur, she works with young people and continues to inspire her generation by creating jobs opportunities and works as a social media specialist and adviser.

She also assisted in the LightupNigeria advocacy project founded by Amara Nwankpa and pushed for the release of funds pledged by President Goodluck Jonathan towards rehabilitation of victims of the 2013 lead-poisoning in gold mines in Zamfara.^[19]

References