LASU Professor Akhaine to deliver 4th Lateef Jakande Memorial lecture

A professor of Political Science at Lagos State University (LASU), Sylvester Odion Akhaine, will deliver the 4th Lateef Jakande Memorial Lecture scheduled to hold in Lagos on July 23, 2026.

The lecture, organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), will take place at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, by 11am, with the theme: “The Media, INEC, Voters and Path to Credible Elections.”

A statement issued on Sunday by the NGE President and General Secretary, Eze Anaba and Onuoha Ukeh respectively, said the annual lecture was instituted in 2023 to honour the legacy of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the late journalist, pioneer President of the Guild, former Lagos State Governor and former Minister of Works.

Akhaine, a former human rights activist, was one of the prominent figures involved in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria during the military era. He served at various times as General Secretary of the Campaign for Democracy and the United Action for Democracy.

The LASU professor holds a PhD in Politics from Royal Holloway, University of London, obtained in 2004. He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Centre for Constitutionalism and Demilitarisation and editor of The Constitution, a journal on constitutional development.

He was a 2005 Stanford University Fellow on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, a contributing editor to the United Kingdom-based Review of African Political Economy, and a visiting member of The Guardian editorial board.

Akhaine is also the author of several publications, including The Case of a Nursing Father and Our Colony and Another Woman of Substance, alongside articles published in academic journals.

The Guild announced that former Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, will chair the lecture, while Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will serve as Special Guest of Honour.

According to the NGE, the memorial lecture provides a platform for media leaders, public officials and civil society organisations to reflect on issues of nation-building, governance and the role of journalism in society.

Newspaper proprietors, managing directors, editors-in-chief, civil society groups, students and lecturers of Mass Communication and Journalism from institutions including Caleb University, Lagos State University, Yaba College of Technology and the Nigerian Institute of Journalism are expected at the event.

The Guild said it invites university students annually to expose them to the values of service, excellence and commitment to journalism and public service while connecting them with practising journalists who can serve as role models.

The Lateef Jakande Memorial Lecture series began in 2023 with a presentation by Chief Felix Adenaike, a Fellow of the NGE. In 2024, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of ThisDay and Arise News TV, delivered a lecture titled: “Rapid Changing Media Landscape: Survival Strategies.”

The third edition, held in 2025, focused on “Journalism and the Challenge of Nation-Building in a Multi-Ethnic Society” and was delivered by Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed.

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