Award-winning Ghanaian broadcast journalist, television presenter and entrepreneur Riyah Abdul sits down with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo for a deeply personal conversation on the viral show #WithChude, opening up about resilience, reinvention and the determination to build a life bigger than her beginnings. In the interview, Abdul reflects on growing up in deep poverty and how that reality became the fire that pushed her to pursue something greater. “I come from a lineage where success wasn’t the story,” she tells Jideonwo. “But I’ve decided it will start with me.”
Abdul also shares the bold decision that changed the trajectory of her life, leaving Ghana for Nigeria after realizing her talent had outgrown the space she was in. She speaks honestly about the fear and self-doubt that followed, particularly after being warned she might not survive Nigeria’s fiercely competitive media industry. Arriving in Lagos with almost nothing, she recounts how a pivotal moment of support from media personality IK Osakioduwa helped her secure her first opportunity and begin carving out a place for herself in the industry.
Throughout the conversation, Abdul reflects on the mindset that carried her through difficult seasons, the determination to be “small but mighty,” the importance of young women building something of their own, and the vision that keeps her moving forward. “Lagos will always be home,” she says. “And one day, I’ll sit on that CNN seat and be so successful because my greatest fear is poverty.”
WATCH EPISODE: https://vimeo.com/1171040854
