@Caleb University confab, NIJ provost, others advocate entrepreneurship training for journalists

The Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Mr. Gbenga Adefaye and other media industry leaders have called for urgent reinvention of local newspapers to survive the digital era. They spoke at the 2026 Journalism Outlook put together by Caleb University, Lagos, to chart a new course for the country’s media landscape. Other speakers at the conference held at the University’s Multipurpose Hall in Imota, Lagos, on Monday, July 20, 2026 are the Publisher of Oriwu Sun, a community newspaper in the Ikorodu area of the state, Dr. Monzor Olowosago and the Deputy President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), Dr. Kabir Garba. The journalism outlook, themed: “Reinventing local newspapers in the digital age: Innovation, sustainability, and global community impact,” was attended by newspaper editors, publishers, reporters, and digital media innovators. Also at the forum were the Caleb University principal officers led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olalekan Asikhia, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Sunday Adewale, his Research and Innovation (RISA) counterpart, Prof. Adetutu Ajayi and the Registrar, Mr. Mayokun Olumeru. It also featured a panel discussion with a former Editor of The Nation Newspaper, Mr. Lekan Otufodunrin, Olowosago and the Publisher of a digital newspaper, BONews, Mrs. Blessing Oladunjoye, answering questions on a wide range of topics. The participants advocated digital innovation and entrepreneurial training to preserve community reporting amidst declining print circulations and disappearing traditional newsroom jobs. The industry leaders highlighted that traditional print is rapidly disappearing from Nigerian streets. To combat this, they called for digital integration and urged students alongside practitioners to leverage technology while strictly maintaining ethical standards and credibility. In his opening remark, the Caleb University’s Vice-Chancellor noted that while the digital revolution has caused a drastic shift in news consumption, it did not kill newspapers but rather made old business models obsolete. He stressed that the focus for 2026 and beyond must be on development communication, accountability, and community building. “Newspapers must reinvent their role in providing accountability, identity, local culture, community building, development communication, and promoting education, health, agriculture, and entrepreneurship,” Prof. Asikhia noted. In his presentation, the NIJ Provost pointed out that entrepreneurship training in the media industry is key to the sustainability of the profession. He noted that the advancement of digital journalism has reflected in the broader shift in media practice across the world. According to him, digitalisation has reshaped the traditional media industry, giving rise to content creators and on-air personalities who are not trained journalists. “The media industry now has publishers whose only factory is a laptop and a data subscription. This shows how digital tools have changed entry into publishing. “The influence of the newspaper editors and the newspaper brands has not entirely waned, the soft power of a respected masthead remains pervasive to some extent,” the former General Manager of Vanguard Newspaper stated. He emphasized that journalists must be trained entrepreneurially to compete adequately across every category of journalism practice. Adefaye argued that journalism practice has evolved beyond the mastery of English language and ethical requirements to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. “It would be a mistake to see AI merely as a new item to be added to an existing curriculum, as one more subject squeezed into an already crowded timetable. “The real task is to train journalists entrepreneurially — as total content producers, capable across every category of journalism practice. Because the formal, salaried newsroom jobs that once absorbed generations of graduates may simply no longer be there in the numbers, they once were,” he argued. On his part, Olowosago noted that the advertisement is crucial to the sustainability of local newspapers. He also harped on entrepreneurship training for the media professionals. “In this digital era, there is no way a local newspaper can survive without advert placements. You need adverts, there is no doubt about that. “To make money, you have to be aggressive by attending parties and other social gatherings to meet people who may eventually become your clients. “But above all, you have to be objective in your reporting and follow the rules,” the veteran journalist counselled.