Our Reporter
The event, which took place at the Sir Kensington Adebutu Media Resource Centre in Lagos, turned into a rich convergence of some of Nigeria’s most influential voices in journalism and public communication, all assembled to celebrate Oshunkeye’s legacy and contributions to the profession.
Among dignitaries in attendance were former Ogun State Governor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Olusegun Osoba; Chairman of Ovation Media Group and Keynote Speaker, Dele Momodu; former presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi; the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adedokun Abolarin; Chairman of the Oodua People’s Congress, Gani Adams and poet, Akeem Lasisi.
Also at the event were veteran journalists, including Taiwo Obe, Kayode Komolafe, Muyiwa Akintunde, Kareem Akintunde, Dare Babarinsa, Seni Okanlawon, Mike Awoyinfa, Mayor Akinpelu, Seye Kehinde, Maureen Chigbo, Funke Otti, Olumide Iyanda,Tony Onyima, Idowu Olayinka and Richard Akinnola; former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Funke Egbemode; Deputy Editor, PUNCH Weekend Titles, Tessy Igomu; Publisher of The Eagle Online, Dotun Oladipo; Editor of Sunday Tribune, Lasisi Olagunju, among others.
Opening the event, Adesina delivered a light-hearted reflection on Oshunkeye’s early career, blending humour with admiration as he traced the celebrant’s journey in journalism.
He described Oshunkeye as a resourceful professional whose enduring relevance is reflected in the calibre of personalities gathered in his honour.
Osoba commended the culture of celebrating journalists while they are alive, noting a gradual shift within the profession.
“We tend to celebrate others, but recently the situation is changing to celebrating our own.
“I have come here because I am always around for anything that has to do with journalism,” he said.
Osoba added that Oshunkeye remains one of the figures he holds in high regard for his contributions to the craft.
“Shola is a man I respect a lot for his contribution to our profession and what he is still going to contribute,” he said.
Deputy Editor of PUNCH’s Weekend Titles, Igomu, read Momodu’s widely applauded citation to usher in the Keynote Speaker.
Delivering the keynote address, Momodu paid glowing tribute to the celebrant, describing him as a defining voice in Nigerian journalism.
“If journalism in Nigeria has a conscience, it would be in the voice of Shola Oshunkeye,” he said.
Speaking on the theme, “The Decline of Human Interest Journalism in Nigeria,” Momodu argued that shifting editorial priorities have gradually pushed human-centred storytelling to the margins of mainstream media.
He urged publishers and editors to rethink content strategies and restore balance in newsroom priorities.
Reflecting on his own experiences, he noted that human interest journalism plays a critical role in shaping deeper societal understanding.
“Human interest journalism is not a distraction from serious journalism; in many ways, it is its foundation,” he said. Momodu said
“The magazine world with its blend of society, culture and power opens doors into spaces where we [have] the high and the mighty…
“Over time, those interactions evolved into networks that have endured far beyond the immediacy of the newsroom. Relationships form in the pursuit of stories… what is often underestimated is how those engagements, especially in the lighter side of life, sharpen one’s analytical depth.
“When one listens closely to former conversations… one begins to understand society at the level that statistics and official statements can never fully capture, it is in these nuances, in these intangibles and the diagnoses of social phenomena often lie,” he said.
Momodu added that human interest journalism, therefore, “enables the journalist to see beyond the surface, to connect the dots in personal stories and broader societal factors and to interpret events with depth that endears all parties. It humanises power and dignifies the ordinary.”
On the sidelines of the event, media trainer, Mayor Akinpelu, described Oshunkeye as one of the finest practitioners of human-interest reporting.
“In this profession, they don’t come better than him. When it comes to human interest stories, he stands among the very best.
“I am happy that he is 70, and to create an avenue like this to discuss about the profession is also something that is also very good.
“We have been able to learn one or two things from each other, and I wish him the best of the day.”
Broadcasters
