Ohimai Amaize

In 2007, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and French (Combined Honours) from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria where he was elected President of the institution's umbrella body for campus journalists - the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ) in 2006. Later in 2009, he earned a Post-Graduate Certificate in Managing for Integrity at the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary.[3][4][5]

His professional career began in 2007 at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), before moving to Lagos-based ad agency, ADSTRAT BMC a year after.[6]

In May 2009, he took on a new challenge as Research Assistant to pioneer Executive Chairman of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.[7]

Ohimai is a voluntary adviser to numerous youth-led non-profit initiatives, including work in the EFCC's Popular Culture Programme under the Commission's former Fix Nigeria Initiative department and later under the Commission's Strategy and Re-orientation Unit (SARU).

In October 2008, he became an ambassador, Microsoft Internet Safety, Security and Privacy Initiative for Nigeria (MISSPIN). One of the major highlights of his work with the organization was B.L.I.N.G. (Brilliant. Legitimate. Inspired. Nigerian. Great), a pop-culture strategy with which he assembled some of Nigeria's top music artistes to produce the song/music video – “Maga No Need Pay” – Nigeria's first ever music collaboration against cyber-crimes.[8]

Produced by legendary producer Cobhams Asuquo, "Maga No Need Pay" featured Banky W, Omawumi, Rooftop MCs, Bez Idakula, Modele, Wordsmith and MI Abaga.

Described by Nigeria's Y! Magazine as "The Fixer", in August 2010, he became the youngest presidential campaign manager (26) in modern democratic history when popular journalist Dele Momodu appointed him to head his campaign ahead of the 2011 polls.[9]

From September 2011 to May 2012, he served as Special Advisor on Advocacy to Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi then Nigeria's Minister of Youth Development.[10] When Abdullahi was appointed Minister of Sports, he followed his boss and became the Minister's Advisor on Youth, School and Grassroots Sports till March 2014.[11]

From April to October 2014, he was Special Advisor on Media Strategy[12][13] to Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, as Minister of State for Defence [14] and later for Foreign Affairs[15] until May 29, 2015 .

In 2015, Ohimai teamed up with Audu Maikori, Chioma Emetanjo, Aziza Uko-Douglas and Segun Demuren to organize the “Meet The President” event at the EKO Hotel and Suites which brought the then President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan face to face in an engagement session with 5,000 youths.[16][17]

In October 2015, Ohimai took a break from politics announcing his disengagement from partisan politics with his exit from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In August 2018, Ohimai made his debut in broadcasting when leading Nigerian television channel Africa Independent Television (AIT) announced him as co-host of The Weekend[18] - a brand new mega TV show that focuses on politics, lifestyle and entertainment. Ohimai co-hosts The Weekend alongside Osasu Igbinedion. The show airs live for two hours every Saturdays and Sundays.[19]

In another development, Ohimai joined popular television show Kakaaki as a presenter. Kakaaki airs live from Mondays to Fridays on Africa Independent Television (AIT). He presents Kakaaki Social Media – the social media trends segment of the three hour show.[20]

In June 2019, Ohimai fled Nigeria over ongoing threats of arrest for presenting the government critical Kakaaki Social on Africa Independent Television.[21]

Ohimai is the author of the book - Fighting Lions: The Untold Story of Dele Momodu’s Presidential Campaign which details his account as Nigeria’s youngest presidential campaign manager.[22][23][24]

In November 2012, he was appointed secretary of the Board of the Nigeria Academicals Sports Committee (NASCOM).[25][26][27][28] In this capacity, he helped develop the Rhythm N’ Play campaign[29] – a grassroots sports mobilization campaign targeted at bringing an additional 2 million Nigerian school children into sports within a period of two years. Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan launched the campaign in Abuja in June 2013.[30]

Ohimai was tasked to pioneer The Underground – Nigeria's first ever Christian Nightclub – a specialized outreach ministry founded by Holyhill Church, Abuja for youths.[31][32]

In June 2016, Ohimai was engaged as a new media strategist on the re-election campaign of Ghana's former President John Mahama, making him the first Nigerian youth to be engaged as a new media consultant by a sitting foreign President.[33]

In the period of the campaign, he coordinated the Ghana At Work project – targeted at showcasing and archiving development in Ghana under President John Dramani Mahama while also working on image management strategies for the then President of Ghana.[34]

He is the founder of online newspaper, Signal[35] and CEO of Olivier Pope Inc – an image crisis management company.

Ohimai was nominated in the Excellence in Service (Public Service) category of The Future Awards for 2012.[36] In 2013, he was honoured by The Future Project as one of the Best 100 Young Nigerians in one of the events to mark Nigeria's 100th anniversary as a nation.[37]

In 2016, Ohimai made it into the list of the world's top 500 most influential CEOs in the social media alongside media mogul Virgin boss, Richard Branson, Apple CEO, Tim Cook and Oprah Winfrey.[38]

On April 26, 2014, Ohimai married his heartthrob, Tessy Oliseh,[39] an award-winning fashion designer and alumnus of Middlesex University, United Kingdom.[40][41] and the younger sister to Nigerian football legend, Sunday Oliseh.