About Us

Staff

Andrew Dunn has a MSc from Edinburgh University in the UK and has been working in Africa since 1989, initially on large mammal surveys of the rainforests of West Africa. His current interests are protected area management and planning and he has written a number of park management plans, species action plans and guidebooks. He is a member of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group, Section on Great Apes and is also the Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa for the IUCN Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group. In recognition of his conservation work in West Africa a butterfly was named after him in 2003: Lepidochrysops dunni.

Chidiogo Ibenyenwa completed her B.Sc. in Animal and Environmental Biology from the University of Benin, and has a MSc in Natural Resource Conservation from the University of Lagos. She is currently working as the WCS Oban Education Manager. Her focus is largely on imprinting conservation consciousness in school children and awakening local support for natural resource conservation. She also enjoys travelling.

Emmanuel Bassey has a BSc. Degree in Zoology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Education both from the University of Calabar. He has worked for WCS as the Afi Cybertracker Project Coordinator since 2011. His main interests are football and nature conservation.

Inaoyom Imong has a PhD in Primatology from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany and a MSc in Conservation Biology from the A. P. Leventis Ornithological Research Institute, University of Jos, Nigeria. His interests are ecological monitoring, protected area management and planning, and community-based conservation. He received the WCS Graduate Scholarship Award in 2009, the GRASP-Ian Redmond Conservation Award in 2013, and the Whitley Award in 2015. He is a member of the Scientific Commission of the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), and a member of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group. He joined WCS Nigeria in 2004.

Janet Awah has a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the University of Calabar in Nigeria and a BSc in Accountancy from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt also in Nigeria. She has worked as Office Manager, Programme Administrator and Admin Assistants with Private Organizations and INGOs intervening in Nigeria. Her interest is in building a career in accounting for international organizations. To this end, she is working on completing an MSc degree in Accountancy.

Jonathan O. Eban holds a master degree in Environmental and Resources planning and a first degree in Geology from the universities of Calabar 2004 and Jos 2011 respectively. Jonathan trained as a master trainer on reproductive health and HIV & AIDS prevention by UNICEF, as a business farmer by GTZ, and as a conservation cocoa farmer by IITA. His love for conservation of nature especially wildlife and wild places began in his secondary school days where he served as president of the school conservation club in the early 1990s. He is currently working for Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as Project Manager Mbe Mountains-a community conserved forest in Cross River State Nigeria.

A lover of nature and an ardent conservationist, Leonard Akwo completed his B.Sc. in Chemistry Education and is currently working as a Field Assistant for WCS in the Oban Division of Cross River National Park.

Louis Nkonyu is the WCS Conservation Education Coordinator working in the Okwangwo Division of Cross River National Park, Nigeria. Louis established the Okwangwo Conservation Society in 2004 and has been working for WCS since 2006. Louis holds a Nigerian Certificate in Education and in 2008 Louis completed an advanced training course in conservation education with WCS at the Bronx Zoo through the WCS Conservation Education Fellows Program. In 2010 Louis completed the first ever WCS online course in Conservation Biology. He is currently studying for his B.Ed. in Environmental Education at the University of Calabar. The main focus of his work is encouraging support for conservation among local communities.

Murtala Bamalli completed his B.Sc. Degree in Computer Science from Al-Qalam University Katsina. He is currently working as the WCS Operations Room Project Manager in Yankari. His hobbies are watching football, nature conservation and supporting the work of the Yankari rangers.

Onajite Henrietta Okagbare has a B.Sc. in Forestry and Wildlife Management from the University of Port Harcourt and an M.Sc. in Wildlife Management from the University of Ibadan. She is currently working as the WCS Socio-economic Assistant in the Oban Division of Cross River National Park and is also studying for a Ph.D in Wildlife Management at the University of Ibadan. Her hobbies are reading and bird watching.

Sunday Ova completed his Higher National Diploma in Agriculture Extension and Management from the Nasarawa State College of Agriculture and has a National Diploma in Agricultural Science from the former College of Agriculture in Obubra. He worked with many different NGOs before joining WCS as the Livelihood Officer for the Oban Division of Cross River National Park.

Vincent Ayang completed his Master’s degree in Natural Resources Management and Climate Change from the Bayero University Kano, and a bachelor degree in Environmental Resources Management from the University of Calabar. He also holds a post graduate diploma in Education from the Federal Collage of Education Kano. Currently he is the WCS Project Manager for Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary. He is a member of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management. Vincent hobbies are studying, watching Arsenal FC. matches and spending time with family.

Yohanna Saidu completed his B.Sc. degree in Zoology from University of Sokoto and has a MSc. in Environmental Biology from University of Ibadan. After 30 years with the National Park Service he is currently working as the Project Manager for the WCS Illegal Wildlife Trade Project