Lagos State University will begin the maiden lecture series of its Faculty of Communication and Media Studies on Wednesday, April 29, with Olasunkanmi Arowolo scheduled to deliver the inaugural lecture.

The event will hold at 2 p.m. at the faculty’s Ph.D. class on the university’s main campus in Ojo, Lagos, with both physical and virtual participation available through Microsoft Teams.

Arowolo, a lecturer in the Department of Journalism, will speak on the topic “How Media Narratives Shape Poverty and Policy in Nigeria”.

The lecture will be moderated by Rotimi Williams Olatunji, National President of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria.

The Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, will serve as chief host, while the Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Jide Jimoh, will host the event.

Speaking ahead of the lecture, Arowolo noted that the lecture will serve as a starter towards public engagement to ensure that participants have a clear idea and understanding of what’s happening and has happened over the years.

Arowolo earned his PhD in 2025 from University of Kent, United Kingdom . His doctoral thesis, titled “Poverty, Politics, and the Press: Uncovering the Complexities of Media Coverage on Nigeria’s Social Investment Programmes,” examined how newspapers and social media platforms, particularly X, covered poverty alleviation programmes under Nigeria’s National Social Investment Programme.

He added that plans are in place to organise a workshop for different stakeholders, such as students and lecturers teaching communication courses and policymakers, which will provide insights on how his research findings could shape policies, noting that a policy document will be released afterwards.

According to the faculty, students, researchers and media professionals are expected to participate in the lecture.