Christiana ANYANWU

Biographical record

Title

Mrs

Surname

ANYANWU

First Name

Christiana

Gender

Female

Source of Publication

NIBC Who's Who (3rd Edition)

Date of Birth

28 October 1951

Status

Alive

State of Origin

Imo

Place of Birth

Mbaise, Imo State

Father's Status

N/A

Mother's Name

Christiana Ngozi Diala-Ukah

Mother's Status

N/A

Marital Status

Married

Name of Spouse

Casmir Anyanwu

Number of Children (Male)

1

Number of Children ( Female)

1

Names of Children

Ihuoma

Nduwueze

Profession

Journalist
Politician

Working Experience

After graduating, she returned to Nigeria, and worked for the NTA and the Imo Broadcasting Corporation as a news reader and reporter. In 1987, she was appointed Imo State commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports, Culture and Social Welfare under Imo governor Amadi Ikwechegh. Following her tenure as commissioner, Anyanwu became publisher/editor-in-chief of TSM (The Sunday Magazine), a weekly publication focused on political issues

Education Level

Tertiary

Schools Attended with Dates

Owerri Girls Secondary School; University of Missouri; Florida State University

Educational Qualification

bachelor's degree in journalism; master's degree in Mass Communication

Have you ever been a member of any political party?

Yes

If "Yes", please state the party(ies) and offices you have held with dates

People's Democratic Party (PDP) - Federal Legislator (Senate)
All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA)

Awards and Honours

The Committee to Protect Journalists named Anyanwu winner of the CPJ International Press Freedom Award, and in May 1998 she was awarded UNESCO's Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Because of her imprisonment, Nobel Literature Prize laureate Wole Soyinka attended the ceremony to accept the latter on her behalf.

International/Foreign Decorations

Creative Work/Major Exhibitions

Author of The days of terror

Other Relevant Information

In May 1995 Anyanwu was arrested following the publication of a story about a failed coup d'état against the government of Sani Abacha, whom she had refused to endorse as president; she and several Nigerian journalists were accused of being "accessory after the fact of treason".

Anyanwu was prosecuted in camera by a military court and sentenced to life imprisonment on 4 July 1995, later reduced to 15 years in October 1995 following pressure from national and international human rights groups. While being held in Gombe prison, she went partially blind; doctors warned that she was in danger of losing her sight completely if she failed to receive medical attention.

In June 1998, following the death of President Abacha and several protests from human rights groups worldwide, Anyanwu was released by Abacha's successor General Abdulsalam Abubakar on health grounds. She embarked on a two-year break in Virginia, during which she wrote the book Days of Terror about Nigeria's struggle during the dictatorship. Returning to Nigeria after her book's release, she testified to her experiences in prison and confronted her former jailers, publicly forgiving one after he apologized to her.

A televised version of her now-defunct publication TSM Show was aired in 2001. In 2005, Anyanwu opened her radio station Hot 98.3 FM, based in Abuja.

Source

https://peoplepill.com/people/chris-anyanwu/
https://www.nigeriagalleria.com/Nigeria/Personality-Profiles/Prominent-Nigerians/Chris-Anyanwu.html

Source

https://peoplepill.com/people/chris-anyanwu/, https://www.nigeriagalleria.com/Nigeria/Personality-Profiles/Prominent-Nigerians/Chris-Anyanwu.html