An America-born radio presenter, Daniel ‘Dan’ Foster, has become the highest-paid On Air-Personality in Nigeria


Foster, who was raised partly in Washington by his widowed father, and later in Baltimore by his grandmother, moved to Nigeria in 2000 and almost instantly became the darling of radio listeners.

In less than five years, he warmed his way into the hearts of millions in Lagos, making his platform – Cool FM 96.9 – a hit with fans and critics.

Fondly called the Top Dogg, Dan, a graduate of Drama and Broadcasting from Morgan State University, Baltimore, laced his shifts on Cool FM with a mix of humour, fascinating wit, and incredible spontaneity.

Before leaving Cool FM last month, to take up an appointment with Inspiration FM, Cool FM’s Good Morning Nigeria show, which Dan anchored, was the most favoured breakfast show on Nigerian radio.

Advertisers scrambled to get slots on the shift, and revenue from SMS was at its peak. Sources at the station say Dan’s employers at Cool were so happy with him that they allegedly paid him nearly $5,000 per month.

The average monthly take-home of OAPS at Cool dangles between N100,000 and N200,000. Workers in Lagos reportedly earn more than their colleagues in the Abuja station.

But now, if E-Punch investigations are anything to go by, the multiple award-winning broadcaster may have upped his earnings by over 100 per cent.

A reliable source told us during the week that his contract at Inspiration is worth at least N1million per month.

Currently, no Nigerian OAP earns anything in that realm. Rhythm’s IK Osakioduwa and Jacob Akinyemi-Johnson belong to the category of highest paid OAPs, and neither of them currently earn up to Dan’s former Cool FM income.

A highly-placed industry source told E-Punch that the average take home pay for most cherished OAPs, from Ray Power to Rhythm or Cool FM, lies between N100,000 and N250,000.

‘‘Except such person has other responsibilities, like being on a management level, or on a special contract,’’ the source said.

There were unconfirmed reports Dan’s benefits at Inspiration may include a house and brand new car.

It may be easy to argue that Dan has worked for whatever he earns now. For three consecutive years – 2003-2005, he was named the radio personality of the year at the Nigeria media merit awards.

‘‘A colleague who didn’t want his name mentioned told us ‘‘usually, OAPs should even earn more. In the US, they get paid massive, because they are talents.



“They earn more than regular office workers. So it’s a good trend that’s starting with Dan, Wildchild and other guys who are getting paid properly.’’

The owners of Inspiration FM have caused quite some stir in the broadcast sector since they started poaching staff from Silverbird and Cool Fm two months back.

When Wale Scott, one of the workers who left Rhythm for Inspiration FM updated his status last week, his message was simple: ‘‘how can you find your rhythm when you’ve got no inspiration?’’