At the Lateef Jakande Memorial Lecture 2025, stakeholders from across Nigeria’s media and public sectors called for renewed dedication to ethical journalism and national unity. Held on July 23, 2025, at the EDMARK D’Podium International Event Centre in Ikeja, the event was organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors under the theme “Journalism and the Challenges of Nation Building in a Multi-Ethnic Society.”

Voices shaping the conversation

The lecture drew editors, journalists, academics, public servants, and students nationwide.

Among the speakers, Femi Adesina, former Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, offered reflections shaped by decades in journalism and government.

Adesina began by acknowledging that while media landscapes evolve, journalists’ core responsibility remains unchanged: to inform truthfully and build unity. He praised the keynote speaker, the Governor of Bauchi State, for blending governance experience with media insight.

Read also

Rejecting divisive sentiments

Quoting former Senate President Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, Adesina urged journalists to move beyond biases tied to religion, ethnicity, and other forces that often fragment national cohesion.

“The media must reason beyond sentiments,” he stressed, reminding the audience that Nigeria’s media historically played a central role in independence and democratic struggles—a legacy that still demands critical engagement today.

The critical mind as an asset

Adesina highlighted how journalism shapes a questioning mindset that can influence public service positively. “The media gives you a critical mind, and therefore when you go to the other side, you can deploy that critical mind to influence the things you say and the things you champion or espouse as a public servant,” he noted.

Starting with internal accountability

Addressing ethical challenges, Adesina warned that media houses cannot credibly promote integrity without first upholding it internally. “You can’t promote ethics if your own house is in disorder,” he said, calling on professional bodies like the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) to set higher standards.

Championing unity through storytelling

Furthermore, Adesina encouraged the media to foster national consciousness by highlighting shared values rather than reinforcing divides. “If we begin to promote or in subtle ways, support those things that were part of the problem rather than the solution, media must not create national consciousness through values that transcend our differences,” he cautioned.

A tribute that challenges the present

Concluding, Adesina paid tribute to the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande, praising his life of simplicity, wisdom in leadership, and dignity.

“What I love, Alhaji Lateef Jakande lived simply, governed wisely, and died in dignity,” he said.

“Live simply, govern wisely, and die in dignity is a challenge for all of the leaders, and it’s also a challenge for the media to promote.”

Also Watch: 2025 EXMAN Brand Experience  Summit Media Parley