WAFRIC Awards 2026 Nominee Spotlight | On-Air Personality of the Year | Nigeria
Radio has a unique ability to become part of people’s everyday lives. For children preparing for school, parents getting ready for the day and families sharing a morning routine, a familiar voice can make the start of the day more engaging, informative and enjoyable.
For Nigerian broadcaster Stellamaris Chikanma, popularly known as Lady Sunshine, that connection is central to her work on Kids FM Lagos, where she presents The Morning Bell. Through a blend of entertainment, learning and child-friendly conversation, she contributes to a broadcasting experience designed to make mornings brighter while encouraging young listeners to remain curious and engaged.
Her professional profile also reflects an intersection between broadcasting and education. With a Bachelor of Arts in Education in French and a diploma in Early Childhood Psychology, Lady Sunshine brings an educational perspective to a medium that reaches children and families in their everyday environments.
Lady Sunshine and the Power of Morning Radio
The morning hours can be among the busiest parts of a family’s day. Children are preparing for school, parents are organising routines, and households are balancing several responsibilities at once. A children’s radio programme can make this period more enjoyable by providing entertainment alongside opportunities to learn.
On Kids FM, Lady Sunshine is the voice behind The Morning Bell, a programme described by the station as a lively blend of fun and educational content. Its approach places children at the centre of the listening experience, using radio to create a welcoming environment where learning and enjoyment can coexist.
The significance of this role extends beyond presenting a programme. Children’s broadcasting requires an understanding of the audience, an ability to communicate clearly and a style that keeps young listeners engaged without losing sight of the educational purpose.
Lady Sunshine’s on-air identity reflects this balance. Her professional profile emphasises her enthusiasm for children’s development and her interest in making everyday listening an opportunity for learning, laughter and encouragement.
Where Education Meets Broadcasting
One of the distinctive aspects of Stellamaris Chikanma’s background is her academic training.
Her Kids FM profile lists a B.A. (Ed) in French Education and a Diploma in Early Childhood Psychology. These qualifications provide an educational foundation that is particularly relevant to broadcasting for young audiences.
Education and broadcasting share an important responsibility: communicating ideas in ways that people can understand and engage with. When the audience consists of children, this responsibility becomes especially important. Language, tone, attention span and the presentation of information all influence how a message is received.
Early childhood psychology also offers a useful framework for understanding children’s developmental needs and how they engage with their surroundings. Although academic training alone does not define a broadcaster’s entire approach, Lady Sunshine’s educational background complements the audience she serves on Kids FM.
Her French Education qualification adds another dimension to her profile, connecting language learning with communication. In a country as linguistically diverse as Nigeria, education-oriented broadcasting can provide opportunities to make language, culture and knowledge more accessible to young listeners.
Making Learning Part of Everyday Life
A strength of children’s radio is its ability to bring educational experiences into familiar routines. Learning does not always have to take place in a classroom; it can also be encouraged through questions, stories, games, music and conversations that invite children to think and participate.
Kids FM’s programming includes interactive and family-friendly features. The station has, for example, promoted Brainiac, a trivia feature on The Morning Bell with Lady Sunshine and fellow presenter Uncle Gang. Such activities demonstrate how radio can create opportunities for children to test their knowledge while enjoying the experience of listening.
Interactive formats also help make broadcasting feel less distant. Rather than simply receiving information, young listeners can be invited to think through questions, share answers and engage with the programme.
For parents and caregivers, this kind of programming can form part of a broader environment in which curiosity and learning are encouraged. It also illustrates the value of presenting educational content in a format that feels accessible and enjoyable.
The Human Connection Behind the Microphone
Successful radio depends on more than a presenter speaking into a microphone. It involves creating a relationship with listeners through consistency, communication and a recognisable on-air personality.
The name Lady Sunshine reflects the warm, upbeat identity associated with Stellamaris Chikanma’s broadcasting profile. Her station biography highlights her enthusiasm, welcoming personality and desire to make each school morning an opportunity for children to learn and feel encouraged.
For a children’s broadcaster, that relationship requires a different kind of audience awareness from programmes aimed primarily at adults. The presenter must create an atmosphere that is entertaining while remaining suitable for young listeners and reassuring to parents.
Radio’s everyday nature makes these relationships particularly meaningful. A programme can become part of the rhythm of a school morning, accompanying families as they prepare for the day. The presenter becomes a familiar voice within that routine, helping make the listening experience feel personal even when the audience is spread across different homes and communities.
Lady Sunshine’s work on The Morning Bell places her within this tradition of radio as both a source of entertainment and a companion to daily life.
Why Children’s Broadcasting Matters
Children’s radio occupies an important place in the wider media landscape. It provides an avenue for age-appropriate entertainment, educational engagement and positive communication at a stage when children are developing their interests and understanding of the world.
Presenters who work in this space must consider the needs of their audience while creating programmes that remain engaging. Their work can help demonstrate that radio is not only a platform for news, music or adult conversation, but also a medium capable of serving younger audiences and the families who support them.
In Nigeria’s competitive broadcasting environment, specialised children’s programming represents a distinct area of media practice. It calls for creativity, audience awareness and the ability to make content accessible to children without making it feel like a formal classroom lesson.
Through her role at Kids FM, Stellamaris Chikanma contributes to this area of broadcasting. Her combination of media work and educational qualifications gives her profile a clear focus: making radio a place where young listeners can enjoy themselves while remaining connected to learning.
Stellamaris Chikanma and the WAFRIC Awards 2026
As a nominee for On-Air Personality of the Year at the WAFRIC Awards 2026, representing Nigeria, Stellamaris Chikanma — Lady Sunshine — brings a distinctive children’s broadcasting perspective to this year’s recognition platform.
Her work on The Morning Bell demonstrates the role a radio presenter can play in shaping an engaging listening experience for children and families. Supported by her background in French Education and Early Childhood Psychology, her professional identity connects communication, learning and entertainment.
The WAFRIC Awards 2026 edition carries the theme “Recognizing the Unseen. Celebrating the Exceptional.” The platform celebrates West Africans whose work contributes to their professions, creative industries and communities across the region.
Your vote. Their impact. Support Lady Sunshine in the WAFRIC Awards 2026 public voting.
🗳️ Vote through the official WAFRIC Awards voting page.
For details on how the final selection is made, read the WAFRIC Awards 2026 voting procedures and criteria. Public votes contribute to the process, but votes alone do not determine the final winner. The final selection also considers nominees’ achievements, contributions and impact in line with the published criteria.
WAFRIC Awards 2026 — Recognizing the Unseen. Celebrating the Exceptional.