J.D. Okhai Ojeikere

J.D. Okhai Ojeikere (1930) took up photography at the age of 20. Cameras were not in high demand and were of low priority as they were considered a luxury. However, in 1950 Enugu, Ojeikere bought a modest Brownie D camera without flash for two pounds, and had a friend teach him the fundamentals of photography. Ojeikere started out as a darkroom assistant in 1954 at the Ministry of Information in Ibadan. In 1961 he became a studio photographer, under Steve Rhodes, for Television House Ibadan. From 1963 to 1975 Ojeikere worked in publicity at West Africa Publicity in Lagos. At the first Nigeria Photography Award (NIPHA) ceremony, organized by the multimedia organization Fullhouse Entertainment and held on Sunday, 31 July 2011, Ojeikere was one of prominent Nigerian photographers.