Ndace’s tenure at VON is a study in transformation, of an institution, of a narrative, and of the possibilities that emerge when vision meets execution. He has taken a broadcaster on the brink of irrelevance and turned it into a dynamic platform that speaks with clarity and confidence. He has redefined what it means for Nigeria to communicate with the world, not by amplifying noise but by refining voice.
There are institutions that merely endure, surviving the erosion of time through habit and bureaucratic inertia; and there are those that are reborn, reimagined by the grind and grit of an individual who refuses to accept decline as destiny.
Thus is the story of the Voice of Nigeria (VON).
Once drifting towards obsolescence in a media world that had long outpaced its analog paraphernalia, VON, since 2023, has undergone such a rebirth.
At the centre of this transformation stands a man whose tenure as Director General has not only restored relevance to the nation’s external broadcaster but has redefined its very framework.
When Ndace assumed leadership, VON was a relic struggling to justify its existence in an era dominated by instantaneous digital flows and multimedia storytelling. Its mandate of projecting Nigeria’s ‘voice’ to the world remained noble, but its methods had grown effete. What Ndace brought was not just administrative competence, but also imagination, an understanding that in a world where narratives travel faster than truth, the medium must evolve if the message is to endure.
He began by reshaping VON into a multimedia institution. The shift was neither cosmetic nor symbolic; it was structural. Under his leadership, VON shed its narrow broadcast identity and embraced a layered media ecosystem, integrating audio, video, and digital platforms into a cohesive whole. This multimedia turn did more than modernise output; it repositioned VON within the global information order. Nigeria’s stories are no longer confined to shortwave transmissions; they now circulate with a renewed vitality.
In the fulcrum of this transformation is Ndace’s ambitious expansion of language services. Language, after all, is the architecture of influence. By increasing the number of languages in which VON broadcasts, he has extended Nigeria’s cultural and diplomatic reach, making the institution not merely a broadcaster but a bridge between worlds. In this expansion lies the aspiration to render VON truly global, Pan-African in its roots and cosmopolitan in its resonance. The broadcaster’s name, once a formal designation, is now being actualised in spirit: a voice that carries Nigeria into conversations far beyond its borders.
Yet, vision without infrastructure is a hollow promise. Recognising this, Ndace pursued the installation of a cutting edge transmitter, an endeavour that required both bureaucratic dexterity and relentless advocacy. The commissioning of this facility in Lugbe, Abuja, marked a decisive moment in VON’s revival. Launched under the auspices of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the transmitter symbolises more than technological upgrade; it represents the restoration of capacity, the ability to speak clearly, powerfully, and without distortion to a global audience. It is, in many ways, the physical embodiment of Ndace’s philosophy, that a nation must invest in the clarity of its voice if it hopes to be heard and impactful.
Beyond technology, Ndace has introduced ideas that reconfigure the relationship between the broadcaster and its audience by initiating The VON Forum. Perhaps his most innovative institutional intervention so far, it exemplifies a shift in the paradigm in a country where the distance between policymakers and citizens often breeds mistrust. The forum creates a rare dialogic space. It brings together high-ranking officials and ordinary citizens, collapsing hierarchies in favour of conversation. Here, questions are asked, grievances aired, and perspectives exchanged, not in the abstract, but in the immediacy of shared presence.
The significance of the VON Forum lies not merely in its format but in its philosophy. It reimagines broadcasting as participation rather than transmission. Instead of speaking at the audience, VON, under Ndace, listens. And in listening, it earns credibility. The forum has become a space where governance meets scrutiny, where policy encounters lived reality. In doing so, it has placed VON firmly on the map, not just as a media institution, but as a civic platform.
Equally important is Ndace’s commitment to professionalism within the organisation. He understands that institutions are only as strong as the people who inhabit them. In an age where journalism is being reshaped by algorithms, artificial intelligence, and shifting audience behaviours, he has prioritised continuous training for both the journalists and the administrative staff of the organisation. This is not a token gesture but a sustained investment in competence.
Journalists are implored to adapt, to acquire new skills, to think critically about the evolving landscape of information.
Administrative staff, too, are not left behind; they are integrated into a culture of growth that recognises their role in the institution’s success.
This emphasis on capacity building reflects a broader ethos, that excellence is not accidental but cultivated. Ndace’s insistence on training is, in effect, an insistence on relevance. He refuses to allow VON to drift back into complacency. Instead, he pushes it toward a future where it can compete with the best, not by imitation but by innovation.
Underlying these institutional reforms is a quieter, more human concern: staff welfare.
Those who work under Ndace often speak of a leader who does not treat welfare as an afterthought. In a system where neglect can easily become normalised, his attention to the well-being of staff stands out. It is a reminder that leadership is not only about vision but about care, that an institution thrives when its people feel valued.
If Ndace’s achievements at VON reveal him as a reformer, his personal life reveals him as something more intimate: a mentor, a craftsman of minds. Across Nigeria’s journalistic and literary landscapes, there are young men and women who carry traces of his influence. He invests in people with the same intensity he invests in institutions. To encounter him, many say, is to be challenged, to think deeper, to write better, to aspire higher.
Mentorship, in his case, is not a performative act but a sustained engagement. He reads, he critiques, he encourages. He opens doors but insists that those who walk through them must be prepared. The result is a quiet network of individuals who, in their various fields, reflect his imprint. Their successes are, in part, extensions of his belief that talent must be nurtured if it is to flourish.
This commitment to nurturing minds is perhaps rooted in his own identity as a writer and journalist. Before he became an administrator, Ndace was, and remains, a man of letters. His experience as an embedded journalist with the Nigerian Army during the leadership of Tukur Yusuf Buratai placed him at the intersection of conflict and narrative. It is one thing to report from such a vantage point; it is another to transform that experience into enduring literature.
Ndace chose the latter. His writings on Nigeria’s counterinsurgency efforts have become reference points, not merely for their factual content but for their depth of insight. He understood that war is not only a series of events but a complex human drama, one that demands careful interpretation. In capturing this complexity, he contributed to a body of knowledge that extends beyond journalism into the realm of historical documentation.
What surprises me and many people, however, is his engagement with poetry. Poetry, often regarded as the most elusive of literary forms, demands a different kind of intelligence, a sensitivity to nuance, a capacity for metaphor, a willingness to dwell in ambiguity. That Ndace moves within this space suggests a mind attuned to subtleties, a reflective, discerning sensibility that complements his administrative rigour and sees beyond the surface. This unique sensibility is evident in how he followed his book on counter-insurgency in the North East with a collection of poetry, chanting the valour and heroism of the men on the battlefield; men whose courage helped reduce the insurgency to the point where bombs are no longer an everyday in our nation.
To be both a journalist and a poet is to inhabit two modes of truth: the immediate and the eternal. Journalism captures the urgency of the moment; poetry distills its essence. In Ndace, these modes converge, enriching his perspective and informing his work. It is perhaps this duality that enables him to approach leadership not as a mechanical exercise but as a creative endeavour.
His diligence, often remarked upon by those around him, further underscores this creative discipline. Ndace is known to work late into the night, extending his day beyond the ordinary limits of office hours. Weekends and public holidays do not deter him; they are, if anything, opportunities to advance unfinished tasks.
I encountered him recently during the just concluded Ramadan, and the moment revealed this discipline in a way no account could fully capture. At the time of iftar, the building had gone quiet and no office remained open, yet he was still there, working. He could have easily gone home to dine, as many do, but to him there were responsibilities that could not wait till another day.
He broke his fast right there in the office, simply and without ceremony, and returned almost immediately to his duties. It was not done for notice or praise. It was a choice that spoke of habit, of discipline, of a man who measures time not by comfort but by obligation.
Such dedication is not without purpose. It reflects a belief that leadership requires presence, not occasional, but constant. By immersing himself in the daily rhythms of VON, Ndace ensures that his vision is not diluted in translation. He leads not from a distance but from within, engaging directly with the processes that shape the institution.
His efforts to expand VON’s reach through collaborations further illustrate this hands-on approach. By forging partnerships with various entities, he has extended the broadcaster’s influence into new domains. The diplomatic corps, in particular, has become an important audience, engaging with VON as a credible source of Nigeria’s narrative. This engagement enhances the country’s soft power, positioning it as an active participant in global discourse.
Ndace’s tenure at VON is a study in transformation, of an institution, of a narrative, and of the possibilities that emerge when vision meets execution. He has taken a broadcaster on the brink of irrelevance and turned it into a dynamic platform that speaks with clarity and confidence. He has redefined what it means for Nigeria to communicate with the world, not by amplifying noise but by refining voice.
Yet, beyond the achievements and the accolades, what remains is a portrait of a man driven by purpose. A mentor who invests in others, a writer who interprets the world, a leader who refuses to accept mediocrity. In an era where institutions often mirror the limitations of those who lead them, Ndace stands as an argument for the opposite, that with the right combination of imagination, discipline, and empathy, they can transcend those limitations.
And so, the story of VON’s revival is, in many ways, the story of its director general. A story not merely of success, but of possibility, of what can happen when a voice, once fading, is given new life and allowed to speak again.
Awaal Gata writes from Abuja.
