Ojinika Obiekwe is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with a career in television that has spanned nearly two decades.
Born and raised in Enugu, Nigeria, Ojinika is the second of five children. At the age of 16, after graduating from high school, she moved to the United States for college, where she studied Communications at Seton Hall University.
Right before graduation, a chance encounter brought her to New York’s Very Own WPIX as an intern.
Oji walked into WPIX as an intern in late 2001 and fast forward 16 years later, she went from intern to assignment editor to producer/reporter and then entertainment anchor, proving that dreams do come true, and it’s up to you to make it happen for yourself.
As an anchor/lifestyle correspondent for PIX11 News, Ojinika interviewed A-list celebrities, politicians and people from all walks of life. She interviewed the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Aniston, Harrison Ford, Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, Julia Roberts, Kevin Hart and George Clooney, just to name a few.
“It can be surreal sometimes,” she said, “I knew I wanted to be a journalist, but I never dreamed further than print journalism; I figured I’d graduate and write for some paper, but luckily fate took its course and I ended up here and I honestly couldn’t think of anything I would rather be doing as a career.”
“The best part of my job is the fact that I love what I do and I’m pretty good at it, but with this, I’ve also realized I can reach so many people and touch many lives, especially women; not just in Nigeria, but the entire continent of Africa and hopefully all over the world.”
There is a tremendous fire that drives Oji to succeed; a drive that perhaps only her life’s mantra can describe.
“Looks can be deceiving, and with the makeup and the clothes, everything seems perfect, like you’ve lived the fairy tale life and had no disappointments, but I think that’s my purpose in life, that maybe after someone hears my story, they will know that anything’s possible and that if I can do this, anyone can.”
In front of the camera, Ojinika’s true energy shined through with feature stories that brought New Yorkers the latest and greatest products, places and people out there. She knew being on camera would be her next move after she was awarded a fellowship in 2007 by the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) – to report in Senegal, getting her first chance to be on-camera as a reporter.
“After that piece on my Senegal trip aired, I just knew that I’m right where I’m supposed to be, doing what I was meant to do and I count my blessings every day. Okay, maybe not every day, but a lot!”
Ojinika separated from PIX11 in 2022.
