Board of Trustees
Patrick Ogbonnia Egwu
Patrick Ogbonnia Egwu is the Founder of West African Conservation Network (WACN) and the originator of its long-term vision to restore, secure, and sustainably manage priority conservation landscapes in Nigeria and across West Africa.
With a background in tourism management and entrepreneurship, Patrick brings a practical, governance-focused approach to conservation, emphasising institutional partnerships, operational discipline, and long-term financial sustainability. He founded WACN to address a recurring challenge across the region: significant protected areas existing with limited capacity, weak infrastructure, and insufficient long-term investment.
Patrick holds an honours degree in Tourism Management from the University of West London. Under his leadership, WACN works in formal collaboration with government institutions, local communities, and strategic partners to support ranger professionalism, ecological restoration, and the development of resilient conservation systems.
Prof. Olajumoke Abimbola Morenikeji
Prof. Olajumoke Abimbola Morenikeji has a Zoology degree from the University of Ibadan, and a Ph.D in Parasitology.
As an Academic, she has over 100 published papers and 4 books.
She has gotten Scholarships, Fellowships and Grants from the University of Ibadan, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WHO Multilateral Initiative on Malaria and Tropical Diseases Research (MIM/TDR), Harvard School of Public Health, The Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology in India – The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS-DBT), United States Government and Chicago Zoological Society.
She has attended and presented papers in several local and international conferences. She was the Keynote Speaker at the International Pangolin Symposium by the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo in the United States.
Stephen Haruna
Stephen Haruna is one of the most respected individuals in Nigerian wildlife conservation. He was formerly the General Manager of Nigeria’s foremost wilderness area – the Yankari Game Reserve.
Yohanna Saidu
Yohanna Saidu is a very experienced Nigerian conservationist with decades of history with Nigeria’s federal wildlife authorities including the National Park Service. He has worked mostly in the wild as a Law enforcement officer and researcher.
For 30 years, he was involved in protecting, preserving, and conserving biodiversity in Nigeria’s parks before retirement as a Conservator of Park (CP) in one of the country’s national parks in 2019. Yohanna is currently working with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as a Project Manager- Illegal Wildlife Trade.
Patience Adaje
Patience Adaje is a nature conservationist who works to educate and promote awareness on biodiversity conservation and management. She has a bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Forestry and management. Patience believes that community participation is an integral part of sustainable natural resources management.