An online publication, GatewayMail, will officially be unveiled tomorrow (Friday, September 4, 2015). It will be available on http://www.gatewaymail.org/.
GatewayMail is the brainchild of the former Deputy Editor of Nigerian Compass newspaper, Femi Shodunke, popularly called ‘Oluwo’.
The online newspaper, which will cover general news and myriad of interviews, and special features, would mainly focus on Nigeria and Canada, and other news across the globe, Shodunke, who is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, explained.
“GatewayMail is just my own modest professional contribution to journalism, my avowed admired profession that I have been practising over two decades and half,” Shodunke, who was voted as the “Best Reporter of the Year" Ogun State in 2003, now based in Canada, added.
He also said: “The thing is considering the industrialized vantage position of Canada, and taking into consideration our people’s desire to come over here – to school and also live – I thought we could focus on news that would enrich their knowledge and provide adequate information.”
“And our people here too want to read news concerning events happening in Nigeria, particularly considering the fact that we have a new government that has promised to bring about positive changes in the country. I know the eagerness of our people because of my involvement in community activities in Canada,” Shodunke, who is the President of Olumo Progressive Association Canada Inc, a group of ethnic indigenes of Egba and Yewa (Ogun State), Nigeria, also explained.
Shodunke, an HND (Upper Credit) graduate of Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic) Abeokuta has worked in the defunct National Concord, The Comet and The Nation newspapers before he joined, as pioneer staff, Nigerian Compass, where he worked last before migrating to Canada.
The journalist, who was honoured with the double title of Baaroyin (spokesperson) of Igbeinland, and Agbon, two Egba communities, was at the University of Ibadan where he obtained Master in Communication Arts degree. He also attended Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada and bagged Master of Arts (Media Production).
Shodunke focused his Master’s degree thesis on the “Use of social media to enhance political development in Nigeria,” the work which received accolades from his supervisor and assessor.
The GatewayMail boss has won no fewer than 15 various honours in journalism which included Best Tax Reporter in Ogun State (2004), Most Outstanding Journalist award of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ogun State for 2004, 2005 and 2006, Rotary Club of Abeokuta Excellence Award, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Best Journalist in the South West.
The journalist, who was a Guest Writer of New Voices magazine, the publication of Mennonite New Life Centre, Canada, was the Chairman, Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun State between 2003 and 2005, and Chairman, Nigerian Compass Chapel, 2009 to 2010.
