Darafunmi Olanrewaju
Lamide Akintobi is an award-winning journalist and media personality that does it all – she is also a media & presentation coach, a voice-over artist specializing mostly in IVR, a content consultant, a freelance sub-editor (she was a sub-editor for Netng from 2011-2013), panel moderator/event host, and a documentary filmmaker.
Lamide attended the Volunteer State Community Centre in Tennessee, USA as a pre-law student but graduated Summa cum laude with an A.A Degree in Broadcast Journalism & Spanish. “I started out studying law, and in the first or second semester, I took a Radio & TV class as an elective and I loved it, so I switched.”
She also accepted an academic scholarship to Texas A&M University-Commerce (formerly ETSU), where she graduated with a B.A Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish (Magna cum laude).
Lamide is the daughter of veteran music producer Olaoluwa Akintobi, popularly known as Laolu Akins. Laolu Akins produced Shina Peters’ legendary Ace and Shinamania albums and has also worked with the likes of Onyeka Onwenu, Adewale Ayuba, Mike Okri and Christy Essien-Igbokwe.
Lamide came to national recognition as a news anchor on Channels TV, after a successful three year run, she left the station in 2008. She won a Future Award for “On-Air Personality of the Year” in 2009, as well as a “Women in Media” award.
“It’s been 14 years since I got my first official job as a journalist, and I’ve done a couple of other things along the way, but once a journo, always a journo… Barbara Walters, Robin Roberts and Christiane Amanpour have great and thoughtful interview styles, which I like, I also have been influenced by people I’ve worked with. At Channels, it was Mrs. Bimbo Oloyede, Mrs Teresa Essien, and Betty Dibiah.”
In 2009, she was awarded the British Council Chevening Scholarship to study International Journalism from City University, London. She completed the program with an M.A (with Merit) in 2011.
Akintobi joined EbonyLife TV in 2013 as a freelance presenter/producer of the Pan-African Entertainment Network. She co-created, co-presented and produced “The Spot”, which she anchored with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Zainab Balogun, until it wrapped up in mid-2017.
She also produced and presented several other programs on the channel, including Classic Moments: True Stories, EL Now, The Calabar Jazz Festival, The Calabar Carnival and others.
In 2013, she was honoured as one of the 100 “Guardians of the Future” by The Future Africa Project. Lamide has hosted several panel sessions in her career, including the 2014 edition of the Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NECLive), where she moderated the panel discussion titled “Whose content is it anyway?”
She was also named one of ‘50 women changing journalism in Nigeria’ by Women in Journalism Organization in 2015
Lamide has interviewed several dignitaries across different industries and sectors, she has been at the forefront of conversations that matter, pushing for truth and enlightenment at every chance. Her long career has taken across several countries and brought her various experiences. Some have been more exciting than others.
“…Probably when I narrowly avoided being taken for questioning by the SSS for reading on-air at Channels that there were reports claiming that (the then) President Yar ‘Adua *might* be dead. He wasn’t, so they came to the station and took our news editor and some others. I was outside the building when they stormed in and sealed it. I’ll actually never know if they’d have taken me or not, but I think that classifies as “exciting.” Overall, I’ve had truly great career experiences, travelling, interviewing exciting and notable people, and learning from my peers and more experienced colleagues.”
In 2015, Lamide was the anchor of the EbonyLife TV Youth panel that interviewed the then APC Presidential aspirant, and now president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari on his political aspirations and plans for Nigeria. She had also interviewed the past president of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan and other top executives.
She also is the CEO of Something Special Media Productions Ltd, where she practices as a freelance producer, presenter and content consultant. In 2018, she produced features for CNN including African Voices/African Voices: Changemakers, Marketplace Africa and The Profit Point, Inside Africa and others. She also presented ‘Church Culture’ a TV show for Red Media/Channels TV. Over the course of 14 years as a media practitioner, Lamide has learned some invaluable lessons.
“That hard work is great, but it’s not always appreciated, nor do you always get what you deserve as a result of it. That others won’t always appreciate you insisting on standards and what you deserve, and not being a pushover, especially as a woman.”
It is without a doubt that Lamide Akintobi has had a successful career as a brilliant and award-winning journalist and media personality, and she isn’t even done yet.
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