Media entrepreneur, journalist, storyteller and host of #WithChude, Chude Jideonwo, is set to serve as Lead Mentor at the 2026 Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF), where he will engage an audience of about 400 students and young people during the festival’s Green Festival programme. The mentorship session will take place on Friday, November 20, at Freedom Park, Lagos Island, as part of the festival’s youth-focused activities. Jideonwo’s selection is a proof of his successful career in media, storytelling and entrepreneurship, as well as his ability to inspire young people through his work and personal experiences.
The session, themed “The Book in My Life,” also known as “My Encounter with Book,” is designed to explore the importance of reading, education and intellectual development in shaping young people’s personal and professional journeys. Through his experience as a media entrepreneur, author of the Amazon bestselling memoir How Depression Saved My Life and founder of media platforms that have shaped conversations across Africa, Jideonwo will share insights into how books, learning and the deliberate development of the mind can influence ambition, decision-making, career choices and personal growth. The mentorship is intended to demonstrate how education builds the mental capacity young people need to navigate life, identify opportunities and contribute meaningfully to society.
The Green Festival is the youth and student-focused segment of LABAF and forms part of the festival’s broader literacy campaign, using mentorship and engagement with accomplished personalities to encourage a deeper culture of reading and learning. Previous guest mentors have included renowned journalist Dr Reuben Abati, celebrated actor Richard Mofe-Damijo and award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Jideonwo’s appointment continues this tradition of bringing influential Nigerian voices into direct conversation with the next generation, offering young people the opportunity to learn from the experiences, choices and lessons of a career built around ideas, storytelling and the power of the human mind.
