À PROPOS
SMACON

Dr. Benneth Obitte is a Post Doctoral Researcher in Dr. Kingston's lab at Texas Tech University, where he focuses on human dimensions of bat hunting across southern Nigeria and contributes significantly to an integrative NSF-funded disease ecology project. Ben has conducted multiple surveys in Nigeria and is very committed to working with local people on community-participatory solutions to conservation issues. Ben has mentored multiple graduate and undergraduate students in Africa and the United States. He co-founded SMACON and oversees the conservation programs by relying heavily on carefully collected evidence. Ben is a National Geographic Explorer.

Iroro Tanshi is a multiple award-winning African woman conservationist who focuses on saving Afrotropical biodiversity in the lower Guinean Forest and coastal forests of the Gulf of Guinea islands. Iroro also co-founded and leads the SMACON. She is committed to strengthening and raising in-country capacity in Africa, which is pivotal for sustainable action.

Eze Ajali holds a Bachelors in Microbiology and a Master's in Petroleum Engineering. He has volunteered in SMACON since 2019 in the areas of logistics, procurement, and administration, and joined SMACON fully in 2021. He currently oversees SMACON activities in Benin and implements management systems to improve workflows and staff productivity at SMACON. Eze also contributes to our long-term strategic goals through fund-raising and managing donor expectations.

Akelachi Kejeh brings extensive experience in digital and broadcast communications, as well as stakeholder engagement to SMACON. Her passion for communications and her academic degrees in forestry and environment, creates the perfect nexus as she focuses on building collaborative relationships with stakeholders to support small mammal conservation initiatives across West Africa, and on promoting conservation through effective communication strategies and public engagement. 
Her passion for wildlife preservation aligns with SMACON's mission to safeguard biodiversity. She is a Bridge fellow of Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) and a strong advocate for youth participation in development.

Inieke Udokang has been a bat conservationist since her undergraduate thesis project on the roosting behavior of fruit bats in southern Nigeria. She has a bachelor's in Zoology and a master's in Ecology and Environmental Biology. As the Community Engagement and Research Manager at SMACON, Inieke protects bat habitats with community members living on the boundaries of protected areas in southeastern Nigeria.

Juliana Adeola Labiran worked as an Environmental Specialist at Hayat Kimya Nigeria. An alumnus of the Tropical Biology Association field course (2017/Amani) she was Secretary of the Nigerian chapter (2020 - 2023). Her curiosity and passion for field research and conservation led her to volunteer on multiple bat surveys at SMACON, giving her first-hand experiences with the indigenes and landscapes where we work. She joined SMACON fully in 2022. In her current role, she oversees field surveys, project planning, monitoring, and evaluation. She also manages specimen samples and equipment loans.

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Oluchi F. Agodi is a graduate of Animal and Environmental Biology from the University of Benin. She blends effective communication with her passion for conservation, while always eager to study and learn more about bats and other small mammals. She also enjoys capturing nature’s beauty through photography.

Charles Itakpo has a background in Administration and planning. Having managed multiple farms and volunteered at SMACON’s field surveys/projects during which his passion for conservation continued to grow, he joined SMACON as a Field Officer. In this role, he supervises the cane rat farm, one of SMACON's ongoing projects targeted at reducing bat hunting by providing alternate sources of livelihood, and is also involved in field surveys and our forest restoration project.