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Channels Television founder, Dr John Momoh, recounts growing up in a one-room apartment with his parents and six siblings in Surulere, Lagos.
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Says his father was a cook, while his mother was a petty trader, as the family of nine struggled with overcrowded living conditions.
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Reveals he walked barefoot to school before getting his first pair of slippers and hawked eggs on the streets of Lagos during school holidays.
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Shares childhood struggles while giving a testimony on God’s grace at the 2026 Adult Harvest service of All Souls Church, Lekki.
November 10, (THEWILL) – The Chairman of Channels Media Group and Founder of Channels Television, John Momoh, has recounted his difficult childhood in Lagos, revealing how he grew up in a cramped one-room apartment, walked barefoot to school and hawked eggs on the streets of Surulere and Yaba.
Momoh shared the experience while giving a testimony on God’s grace at the 2026 Adult Harvest service of All Souls Church, Lekki, Lagos, where he spoke about his family’s humble beginnings and the difficult circumstances that shaped his early life.
The veteran broadcaster said he was born in Surulere, Lagos, as the second of seven children to a father who worked as a cook and a mother who engaged in petty trading.
Describing his family’s financial circumstances, Momoh said all nine members of the household lived in a single room, with limited furniture and inadequate sleeping arrangements.
“I was born in Lagos, in Surulere. Second of seven children. My father was a cook. And I’m not saying chef, a cook. My mother was a petty trader. And we all lived in Surulere,” he said.
He explained that the family’s accommodation was so small that all nine members had to share the available space, while residents of the building relied on a common toilet facility.
“Our family of nine lived in one room. And for those of us who know what face me, I face you, is, you know, you have up to about 30 in a building sharing one convenience,” he recalled.
The expression “face me, I face you” refers to a type of densely occupied residential accommodation in which separate households occupy rooms arranged along a common passageway and share basic facilities.
Momoh said the family’s room contained just one bed, a double chair and a small centre table, with a curtain separating the sitting area from the bed used by his parents.
He said the seven children had to make do with the limited space, often improvising sleeping arrangements whenever the weather became unfavourable.
“We had one bed in that room and a double chair, as well as a small centre table, which, for want of a very good way to describe it, was a coffee table. And there was a curtain which divided the furniture that we sat on from the bed, which was just for my parents,” he said.
According to him, the situation became particularly difficult during the rainy season, when water seeped into the room through a leaking roof, forcing family members to find alternative places to sleep.
“And sometimes when it rains and it leaks, rain seeps through. And we all try to manoeuvre how we sleep on the floor, on the bench, on the chair,” he recalled.
Walked Barefoot, Hawked Eggs on Lagos Streets
Beyond the family’s difficult living conditions, Momoh disclosed that his childhood was also characterised by deprivation, revealing that he walked to school barefoot before eventually getting his first pair of slippers.
He also recalled hawking on the streets of Lagos as a young boy, particularly during school holidays, when he carried eggs on his head and walked considerable distances in search of customers.
According to him, his hawking activities took him from Cole Street in Surulere to Yaba and other parts of Lagos.
“As a boy, I also hawked on the streets of Lagos,” he said.
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Recounting the experience, Momoh said his wife sometimes teased him about his childhood hawking activities whenever they had disagreements, recalling how he had previously shared the story with her.
“My wife would make fun of me when I offended her. And because I told her this story about hawking during holidays, I would put eggs on my head and walk the streets of Surulere. All the way from Cole Street to Yaba and all around,” he said.
He also recalled the words he used to attract customers while selling his goods, saying the memories of those days remained vivid.
The broadcaster’s account offered a glimpse into the modest circumstances of his upbringing before he rose to become one of Nigeria’s prominent figures in broadcasting and media entrepreneurship.
From Humble Beginnings to Media Entrepreneurship
Momoh co-founded Channels Television with his wife, Sola Momoh, in 1995. The station has since grown into one of Nigeria’s leading television news organisations.
He is the Chairman of Channels Media Group and holds the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).
His testimony at the Adult Harvest service, organised around the theme of God’s grace under the message, “The Lord Is My Shepherd”, was described by the church organisers as an encouragement to the congregation.
In announcing the testimony, the organisers said they were encouraged by his account of the grace of God and described the 2026 Adult Harvest as an uplifting service.
They also urged members of the congregation to remain confident in God’s care, declaring: “The Shepherd sees you and cares for you. Divine encounters await you.”
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
