The Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, has called for a fundamental overhaul of journalism education, urging universities and journalism training institutions to equip aspiring media professionals with artificial intelligence (AI), digital and entrepreneurial skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

Adefaye made the call on Monday while delivering a paper titled “Training the Next Generation of Journalists for Digital Innovation and Global Impact” at the Journalism Outlook Conference 2026, organised by Caleb University at the institution’s Multipurpose Hall in Imota, Ikorodu, Lagos.

The conference was themed “Reinventing Local Newspapers in the Digital Age: Innovation, Sustainability, and Global Community Impact.”

Addressing participants, the NIJ Provost stated that journalism training must move beyond traditional newsroom practices to prepare graduates for a digital-first media ecosystem increasingly driven by technology, multimedia storytelling, and artificial intelligence.

He warned that local newspapers can no longer rely on old business models if they hope to remain relevant.

“A drive round any Nigerian city today tells its own story. The printed newspaper has become something of a memento, carried by a few remaining old vendors who, like the papers they hawk, are a dying tribe,” he said.

Despite the decline in newspaper circulation, Adefaye noted that public appetite for media content has continued to grow, with audiences now consuming news across multiple digital platforms.

“The near-disappearance of the newspaper from the daily menu does not necessarily mean a decline in the consumption of media content. If anything, people probably consume more content today than they ever did,” he asserted.

Reflecting on his years as an executive at Vanguard newspaper, Adefaye recalled receiving more than a dozen newspapers daily but reading only a fraction of them, contrasting that experience with today’s digital environment where vast amounts of text, audio, and video content are accessed through mobile devices.

According to him, while newspaper brands still command respect, the industry now faces stiff competition from digital content creators, influencers, and on-air personalities who have leveraged technology to build large audiences without the overhead costs associated with traditional media organisations.

“There are now legions of publishers whose only factory is a laptop and a data subscription,” he said, adding that many content creators now perform functions traditionally reserved for trained journalists.

He stressed that technological advancement has fundamentally transformed newsroom operations, eliminating many of the rigid specialisations that once defined journalism practice.

“The today’s media professional is expected to play smart and play many roles at once,” he said.

Adefaye described artificial intelligence as the next major frontier in journalism education, arguing that AI should not be treated as an optional addition to existing curricula but integrated into newsroom training and practice. “Artificial intelligence is, without question, the next game in journalism training.”

He explained that journalism schools must now produce entrepreneurial, multi-skilled content creators capable of reporting, shooting, editing, publishing, distributing, and monetising content across multiple platforms.

He argued that the era of abundant permanent newsroom jobs is gradually giving way to contract work, freelance opportunities, and a content marketplace where success depends on quality, speed, and innovation.

To bridge the gap between training and industry realities, the NIJ Provost advocated substantial investment in digital newsrooms, television and radio studios, multimedia laboratories and communication research facilities.

He also called for expanded curricula that place digital journalism, multimedia storytelling, strategic communication, corporate communication, social media management and media entrepreneurship at the heart of journalism education.

“Digital journalism is far bigger than simply migrating newspaper stories onto a website. It integrates multimedia storytelling, data journalism, audience engagement, artificial intelligence and analytics directly into the news production process,” he explained.

On the sustainability of the newspaper industry, Adefaye observed that the traditional business model built on circulation revenue and advertising had largely collapsed, making entrepreneurship an essential component of journalism training.

He noted that future journalists must understand not only how to produce quality content but also how to sustain media businesses through emerging revenue models, including subscriptions, memberships, content licensing, events and direct audience monetisation.

Speaking on the conference theme, Adefaye pointed out that digital technology has created opportunities for local journalism to achieve global relevance, enabling stories from local communities to reach international audiences within hours of publication.

He urged journalism educators to prepare students for cross-border reporting, international collaborations and global ethical standards while maintaining strong local news values.

The NIJ Provost also welcomed recent reforms to journalism education in Nigeria, particularly the restructuring of communication programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), saying the new specialised pathways better reflect the realities of today’s media industry.

Adefaye further encouraged journalism educators to embrace change rather than resist it, maintaining that AI should be seen as a tool to enhance journalism rather than a threat to the profession.

“We must teach the smart use of artificial intelligence, not as a threat to be resisted but as a tool to be mastered,” he advised.

He added: “The local newspaper, and the profession that built it, will only reinvent itself successfully if the people we train today are equipped for the world as it now is — not the world, however fondly remembered, that most of us came up in.”

The Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, has recorded a landmark achievement by emerging winner of the 2026 Future Pitcher Student Academy (FPSA), securing its first-ever victory in the prestigious Pan-African marketing communications competition.

The institution was represented by two Higher National Diploma (HND) II students of the Department of Strategic Communication, Miss Favour Mbagwu and Miss Kehinde Olatunji, who emerged as joint winners of the competition.

The feat is particularly significant as it marks the first time NIJ has won the contest since its inception and also the first occasion two students from the same institution have shared the top prize.

The 2026 edition of the FPSA attracted 26 students from 12 higher institutions across Africa, making it one of the most competitive editions of the programme.

Participating institutions included the University of Lagos, Covenant University, Redeemer’s University, the University of Ibadan, Olabisi Onabanjo University, McPherson University, Pan-Atlantic University, Ajayi Crowther University and Lancaster University, Ghana.

Notably, NIJ was the only institution accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) among the participants, while the remaining schools are universities accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

FPSA, formerly known as the Future Creative Leaders Academy (FCLA), is a Pan-African student competition in marketing communications organised as part of the Pitcher Festival, an initiative of CHINI Africa.

The finalists in the 2026 competition were Tomiwa Oyegunle of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Daniel Nnam of the University of Lagos, Bernice Ijekhuemen of Lancaster University, Ghana, and NIJ’s Favour Mbagwu and Kehinde Olatunji.

The final stage of the competition was conducted virtually on June 8 before a panel of international judges, who assessed participants based on the quality and effectiveness of their presentations.

At the end of the exercise, Mbagwu and Olatunji received the gold medal as joint winners. Tomiwa Oyegunle won the silver medal, while Bernice Ijekhuemen claimed the bronze medal.

In other categories, Mr. Jack Amaso of NIJ was named FPSA Lecturer of the Year. The School of the Year award went to the Department of Language and Communication Arts at the University of Ibadan, while Olabisi Onabanjo University and Redeemer’s University finished second and third respectively.

The competition was judged by Afua K. Asiedu of Publicis Groupe, Ghana, Lydia Gathigia, Strategic Director at Ogilvy, Ghana, and Nana Adwoa Adoma. Now in its 19th year, FPSA has grown into one of Africa’s foremost student competitions in advertising, marketing communications and creative strategy, dedicated to identifying, nurturing and showcasing the next generation of communication professionals across the continent.

By Emmanuel Ashemiriogwa

The Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) demonstrated its commitment to environmental sustainability on Friday, 5 June, by hosting a commemorative event for World Environment Day. Spearheaded by the ‘One Million Trees’ initiative, the programme sought to foster a culture of environmental stewardship among students and staff.

The event was themed “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future,” aligning with this year’s global focus, “Nature is not optional.”

Representatives from the One Million Trees initiative delivered an engaging awareness talk, underscoring the critical necessity of reforestation in an urban landscape like Lagos.

Emphasising the collective responsibility to preserve the planet, the officials stated, “Earth is our home, so we need to take care of it. Imagine every landlord in Lagos is mandated to have a tree in their house. You know how huge of a difference that would make.”

Adding to that, Deputy Provost of NIJ, Dr Adeboye Ola, reinforced the importance of the exercise by sharing his personal experiences with cultivating economic trees.

He assured the community that the newly planted trees would be meticulously nurtured, allowing future students to benefit from their fruit and shade.

“The space in the institution may not be enormous, but the area of land available will be utilised for maximum greenery,” Dr Ola noted.

During his contribution, the founding lecturer of the school’s environmental club, Ecozone, Mr Anthony Oligbo, welcomed the collaboration.

According to him, such activities are central to the club’s mandate and serve as a springboard for broader campus initiatives.

“This is an opportunity for the school to also prioritise other eco-friendly measures such as plastic recycling cages, etc.,” he added.

Following the seminar, the atmosphere shifted to the school field, where students, faculty, and initiative officials engaged in a practical demonstration of environmental action. More than 20 trees were planted, each thoughtfully tagged with special names and dedicated with prayers to ensure their growth.

This local effort contributes to a broader national strategy; the Lagos State Government, acting under the federal government’s agenda, continues to champion large-scale afforestation across the state.

By integrating these practices into the academic environment, NIJ is playing its part in the wider effort to secure a greener, more sustainable future for the state.

The event celebrated the remarkable contributions of foremost pioneers and veterans in the media space, present at the event including Uncle Sam Amuka, Tunde Thompson, Soni Irabor, Bimbo Oloyede, Mike Awoyefa, among others.