The Lekan Otufodunrin Mentees Network (LOMNET) is set to host its inaugural Interactive Virtual Media Summit to explore ways of strengthening mentoring practices in the media industry.
Scheduled for Friday, August 15, 2025, the event will be hosted on the Zoom platform at 4:00 PM (WAT), with the theme ‘Media Career, Mentoring & Innovative Journalism: Identifying the Gaps, Connecting the Dots.’
The summit will bring together media development experts, mentors, emerging role models, and proteges to discuss linking mentorship with innovative journalism and creating fresh pathways for media mentoring and development initiatives.
Sanmi Falobi, Coordinator of the summit and Project Manager at the International Press Centre, said career mentoring and guided support are crucial in Nigeria’s fast-changing media landscape.
“In Nigeria’s fast-changing media landscape, where opportunities are evolving alongside daunting professional challenges, career mentoring and guided support are not only necessary, but very important in the career life of budding media professionals,” Falobi said.
He explained that mentoring bridges the gap between raw talent and industry relevance, equipping media professionals with the skills, resilience, and innovation needed to make a lasting impact.
“While digital creativity and artificial intelligence are opening the space for innovations, guided support and wisdom from experienced mentors remains a dire need for impact and effective media communications and journalism initiatives,” Falobi added.
The programme will feature expert insights, mentee-mentor testimonials, a plenary discussion, and an interactive networking session.
The summit will also include the public presentation of a publication entitled “Milestones of a Media Icon: A Collection of Plaudits & Testimonials on Lekan Otufodunrin.”
The testimonial publication, compiled by Falobi, documents the career impact, leadership, and mentoring contributions of Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin’s influence in media career mentoring over the years.
Lead speakers at the session will include Prof. Oloruntola Sunday, Dean of the Faculty of Communication & Media Studies at the University of Lagos; Mrs. Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism; and Dr. Theophilus Abbah, Programme Director at Daily Trust Foundation.
The event, which will be moderated by Blessing Oladunjoye of BO News, will also feature a mentee-mentor experience sharing session.
Participants in the sharing session will include Elizabeth Osayande, Convener of the Female Freelancers Network; Dayo Emmanuel, News Editor at National Wire; Ann Godwin, Head of South-South Bureau at The Guardian Newspaper; Seye Joseph, Founder of EnterpriseCEO; and Justina Asishana, Coordinator of the Media Mentors Network.
Pre-registration is required to attend the virtual summit, with the registration link available at bit.ly/LOMNET-EVENT