John Momoh grew up hawking eggs on the streets of Lagos and walking barefoot to school from a cramped one-room home in Surulere, Lagos.
Today, he has risen to become the founder of Channels Television and Chairman of Channels Media Group.
Momoh shared his story while giving a testimony at the 2026 Adult Harvest Service of All Souls Church, Lekki, Lagos. He reflected on his family’s hardship and attributed his journey to what he described as God’s grace.
Born in Surulere as the second of seven children, Momoh said all nine members of his family lived in one room furnished with only his father’s bed, a two-seater chair and a small table. A curtain served as a partition, while leaking rainwater often made it difficult for the family to sleep.
He added that about 30 people lived in the compound and shared one toilet and bathroom.
His father worked as a cook and his mother was a petty trader. To support the family, Momoh hawked eggs from Cole Street in Surulere to Yaba, carrying them on his head. He also walked barefoot to school until he could afford a pair of slippers.
Despite these challenges, Momoh said he remained grateful, believing that God had watched over him and lifted him from those difficult beginnings.
Born John Olatchy Momoh, he worked with Ogun State Radio, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Television Authority as a reporter, news anchor and producer before establishing Channels Television in 1995.
He studied Mass Communication at the University of Lagos and obtained a master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy. He also completed professional training programmes in the United Kingdom and attended the Lagos Business School and Harvard Business School.
Momoh was conferred with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 2005 and has received several awards, including the 2020 DAME Lifetime Achievement Award, for his contributions to broadcasting and media entrepreneurship.
