By Oritsejolomisan Edun
The Faculty of Arts commenced its week-long celebration on Monday, 22 June 2026. The week tagged Artisphere 2026 featured a conference and award ceremony on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, themed ‘Media, Technology and Leadership: Advancing Democratic Accountability in the Digital Age.’
The event brought together academics, media professionals, public officials, and students to discuss the role of digital tools and civic participation in strengthening accountability.
The event opened with an address by Amos O. Bewaji, popularly known as Kizer, President of the Faculty of Arts Students’ Association (FASA). ‘Today is not just another day in the series of activities. It is a moment of reflection, engagement, recognition and celebration. A moment where ideas and experience, great leadership and responsibility meet, where excellence is applauded in the presence of all,’ he said, as he began his remark.
He added that the conference and award ceremony formed a significant part of the week’s activities, stating that the Faculty of Arts has continued to distinguish itself through leadership and intellectual excellence across different spaces.
The Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Gbenga Fasiku, also delivered a welcome address.
In his remarks, the Dean appreciated Heads of Departments, invited guests, members of the FASA executive council, and students in attendance. He encouraged students to position themselves for impact and stated that they should not remain in the comfort zone of applauding others but should participate actively in shaping their world so that they, too, could be recognised.
SPEAKING SESSIONS
The first speaker of the day, Mr Segun Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of MADRos Technology, delivered a session titled ‘Emerging Technologies and Media: Driving Digital Accountability and Transparent Government.’ Through the session, he examined the intersection of technology, media, and governance.
According to Mr Solomon, ‘For centuries, government controlled information. The media was one-way traffic where government could only send information to the people, but the people could not respond.’
However, he noted that technological advancement has transformed this pattern by creating opportunities for public engagement and accountability.
Solomon identified corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency, limited citizen visibility into government projects and budgets, and declining institutional trust among increasingly engaged youth populations as major accountability challenges. He explained that digital accountability promotes technology-enabled systems that make public decisions, budgets, projects, and institutional actions more transparent, traceable, and open to public scrutiny.
He further emphasised a shift from reactive accountability to proactive accountability and argued that combining technology, media, and citizen participation can improve governance outcomes.
‘Media is no longer centralised. It is distributed. Media is evolving from a one-way channel into a participatory ecosystem where every citizen can become a watchdog,’ he said.
He also cited examples such as real-time budget tracking systems and governance practices in Estonia and Rwanda and encouraged participants to pursue meaningful impact.
Speaking on ‘Investigative Journalism in the Digital Age: Exposing Hidden Influences and Strengthening Democratic Accountability,’ Mr Olusola Oludiran, a journalist with the International Press Centre, stressed the importance of investigative journalism in promoting public accountability.
He described investigative journalism as ‘a specialised form of journalism that seeks to uncover hidden truths, expose wrongdoing, and reveal information that powerful individuals, organisations, or governments may want to keep secret.’
'Evil thrives in secrecy,’ he added while describing journalism as a tool for holding public officials accountable where public interest is concerned.
Mr Oludiran noted that technological advancement has made investigative reporting easier while also creating challenges through the spread of disinformation, misinformation, and mal-information.
‘Improve fact-checking and protect journalists at all costs. If there is no good journalism, there is no good democracy,’ he said.
He also highlighted the influence of algorithms in shaping what users see, what content trends, and which information becomes amplified.
Delivering the keynote address, Abisayo Busari Akinnadeju described the conference as more than an event but a call to build Nigeria through active civic engagement and accountable leadership.
She stressed the need to create structures that encourage public accountability, noting that political leadership now operates differently in an internet-driven age.
‘What does it mean to lead when the people you serve can hold you accountable in real time?’ she asked.
Drawing from her civic campaign experiences, Mrs Akinnadeju emphasised the importance of creating infrastructure that enables citizens to communicate with leaders and receive responses.
‘What’s important is the ability to communicate with your leaders and get a response from them. You can stand where you are as a citizen and decide to lead from where you stand,’ she said.
She further added, ‘We still need to build an electorate that is educated and positioned to understand that leadership in Nigeria is not based on status but service.’
She urged participants to recognise leadership as service rather than status and encouraged students to contribute to national development from wherever they are positioned. She also highlighted ethical innovation, user protection, and digital literacy as essential elements in preparing citizens for the future.
PANEL SESSION
The conference later featured a panel session involving Femi Salawu, Head of Public Affairs and Media Relations at Temple Company, and Taiwo Adebulu, Features and Investigations Editor at TheCable.
Responding to questions on the relationship between media, technology, and leadership, Mr Salawu said, ‘It’s a tripod. You cannot talk about leadership without talking about influence. Media tells a story; technology amplifies it. We are on the fast lane.’
On media independence, Mr Adebulu maintained that media remains largely a free space despite concerns surrounding ownership influence and political affiliations.
‘There are no specific laws to start a media platform. No restrictive policies or laws. It’s a free space,’ he said.
Addressing concerns about politically affiliated media organisations, Mr Adebulu noted, ‘The media is not a perfect industry. Not everyone is aligned with ethical principles of journalism. However, there is still gatekeeping in journalism.’
Speaking on a related issue, Mr Salawu added, ‘Just having access to technology does not empower you or make you a journalist. However, there is a need for gatekeeping and regulation in media. Editors ensure reports are not slanted or biased so that ethical standards are upheld.’
Speaking on fake news, Mr Adebulu stated, ‘Fake news feeds on your bias. The problem is not fact-checking but people are controlled by their biases.’ He added that cultural and religious inclinations can shape how people interpret information.
The panellists also discussed misinformation, social media influence, digital participation, and the balance between freedom of expression and responsible regulation. Participants were encouraged to practise media literacy, verify information, and engage responsibly in civic conversations.
AWARD PRESENTATION
As part of activities marking the Association’s tenth anniversary, awards were presented to the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Gbenga Fasiku, Heads of Departments, guest speakers, and outstanding students across the faculty’s eight departments: English, Linguistics, Music, Religious Studies, Foreign Languages, History, Philosophy, and Dramatic Arts.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by the FASA President, who encouraged students to participate in the upcoming Ife Arts Day programme featuring pageantry, bata dance, giveaways, among other activities.
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