Patrick Ogbonnia Egwu
Founder & Board MemberPatrick Ogbonnia Egwu is the founder of WACN, President, CEO, and individual behind the WACN concept. Patrick was born in Birmingham United Kingdom to Nigerian parents, and is a successful businessman, owning several entities in the UK, US, and Nigeria.
He is the owner of the Patrick Egwu Group. Still only in his 40s, he has been in business since his very early 20s, starting in New York City with his now defunct entertainment company Tottally Banned Entertainment Inc.
He has an undergraduate honours degree in Tourism Management from the University of West London. His love for wildlife started from childhood when he was living in Owerri Nigeria, where on many weekends his father took them to the Nekede Zoo.
Abubakar S. Ringim
key personnel & Board MemberAbubakar Ringim is currently pursuing a PhD at Morgan State University, US where he is researching Human Dimensions of Sika deer management on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. He holds a B.Sc. in Zoology and a Masters in Biodiversity Conservation.
Ringim’s toolkit spans several fields in the natural sciences, including ornithology, citizen science, conservation education, butterflies, herpetology, protected areas, and wetlands. Recent experiences are preparing him to develop a social science toolkit on the human dimensions of wildlife management to enable him to address key wildlife management questions and challenges.
Ringim has several peer-reviewed publications and received letters of merits/recognition on biodiversity conservation activities.
Prof. Olajumoke Abimbola Morenikeji
Board MemberProf. Olajumoke Abimbola Morenikeji has a Zoology degree from the University of Ibadan, and a Ph.D in Parasitology.
As an Academic, she has over 100 published papers and 4 books.
She has gotten Scholarships, Fellowships and Grants from the University of Ibadan, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WHO Multilateral Initiative on Malaria and Tropical Diseases Research (MIM/TDR), Harvard School of Public Health, The Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology in India – The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS-DBT), United States Government and Chicago Zoological Society.
She has attended and presented papers in several local and international conferences. She was the Keynote Speaker at the International Pangolin Symposium by the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo in the United States.
Stephen Haruna
Board MemberStephen Haruna is one of the most respected individuals in Nigerian wildlife conservation. He was formerly the General Manager of Nigeria’s foremost wilderness area – the Yankari Game Reserve.
Yohanna Saidu
Board MemberYohanna Saidu is a very experienced Nigerian conservationist with decades of history with Nigeria’s federal wildlife authorities including the National Park Service. He has worked mostly in the wild as a Law enforcement officer and researcher.
For 30 years, he was involved in protecting, preserving, and conserving biodiversity in Nigeria’s parks before retirement as a Conservator of Park (CP) in one of the country’s national parks in 2019. Yohanna is currently working with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as a Project Manager- Illegal Wildlife Trade.
Patience Adaje
Board MemberPatience Adaje is a nature conservationist who works to educate and promote awareness on biodiversity conservation and management. She has a bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Forestry and management. Patience believes that community participation is an integral part of sustainable natural resources management.