Legit.ng’s James Ojo Adakole to Speak at Top Conference in Lagos
- James Ojo Adakole, a senior copy editor at Legit.ng, is set to speak at the 10th Lagos Studies Association (LSA) conference
- Ojo will join other top scholars and professionals across various fields to share insights from their works and cross-fertilise ideas at the conference
- The LSA prides itself as the biggest academic conference in Nigeria and one of the biggest in African studies in the world
James Ojo Adakole, a senior copy editor, is one of the panelists scheduled to feature at the 10th Lagos Studies Association (LSA) conference holding from June 16 to June 20, 2026, at Tinity University Sabo/Yaba in Lagos state.
The LSA is an international, interdisciplinary organization of academic and non-academic practitioners “whose interests focus on Lagos, Nigeria, and Africa as a whole”.
Source: Original
At the conference, Ojo will present findings from his latest research during a panel session titled “Changing the Narrative on Exploring Constructive Storytelling as Practice, Pedagogy, and Sustainability Model in African Journalism (Part II)”.
His latest work, "Learning by Doing: Newsroom–Classroom Collaborations as Practice-Based Interventions in African Journalism,” critically examined growing concerns about the disconnect between journalism education and newsroom practice in Africa.
The panel will be chaired by Dr. Jamiu Folarin, a lecturer and researcher at Crescent University in Ogun state, alongside Dr. Rasheed Adebiyi, a lecturer at Fountain University in Osun state.
What is LSA 2026 all about?
The LSA 2026, which is a hybrid, is a 340-panel conference. In a bulletin, the LSA said the conference remains the biggest academic gathering in Nigeria and one of the biggest African studies conferences in the world.
Last year’s edition of the conference featured 255 panels. According to the organisers, the increase in 2026 edition reflects the expanded access the LSA is granting to scholars and practitioners across the world to showcase their work.
The LSA also said the development showcases the creative manner that scholars, especially the early and mid-careers, are imagining knowledge in response to major shifts in Africa's political, cultural, and economic landscapes.
Source: Original
It added that during the conference, audiences will choose from 15 professional development workshops on book and journal publishing, women in academia, AI and teaching pedagogy, fellowship application and grant writing, and graduate school application and experience, among others; and roundtables on 30 books that are at the cutting edge of scholarship in the humanities and social sciences; film screenings; theatre and dance performances.
Laurent Fourchard, a research professor at Sciences Po in Paris, France, will give the keynote lecture titled: “African History, African Politics, and the World of Academia: A Personal Journey.”
James Ojo Adakole’s profile
Ojo is a graduate of mass communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in Enugu state. With a decade experience in the journalism landscape, he has won several top awards, including the 2022 Hostwriter Prize for collaborative journalism, the PwC Media Excellence Award (second runner-up), TheCable Journalist of the Year award, and Legit.ng’s Copyediting Excellence Award.
In 2024, he won the African Prize for Investigative Journalism (PAJI), online category, for his collaborative report, which exposed health officials selling unverified medical documents in Sokoto state.
He was among top 20 African journalists selected by the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, in South Africa, for the 2025 African Investigative Journalism Masterclass, an intensive training course on latest digital forensics and investigative journalism techniques.
The masterclass, organised by the institution’s Centre for Journalism in collaboration with SKUP, the Association for a Critical and Investigative Press in Norway and Bellingcat, an independent investigative organisation, took place from November 2 to 4, 2025 in Johannesburg.
In addition to his journalism heroics, Ojo is also a researcher. In December 2025, his recent study, “Comparative Analysis of Online Advocacy for Good Governance and Actual Political Involvement among Nigerian Youths,” was published in the International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR).
He joined Legit.ng in August 2023.
James Ojo selected for journalism conference in Malaysia
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Ojo was also selected for the 2025 Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The conference, which is the world’s largest international gathering of investigative journalists, featured training on the latest tools and techniques, cutting-edge workshops, and extensive networking and brainstorming sessions, and held from November 20 to 24.
Source: Legit.ng
