The Nation showed strength on Saturday night at the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) grand awards presentation in Lagos.
Our reporters scooped seven honours at the 33rd edition of the media showpiece event.
This newspaper’s journalists were runners-up in multiple categories.
Editor Adeniyi Adesina was a runner-up for the Editor of the Year laurel.
The Nation was also a finalist in the Newspaper of the Year category.
Multi-award-winning Innocent Duru, Assistant News Editor on the Weekend Desk, won the Cecil King Memorial Prize for Print Journalist of the Year.
His winning entry was: “From frying pan to fire: Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria relive horrific experience.”
He also clinched the Gani Fawehinmi Prize for Human Rights Reporter of the Year.
His winning entry was: “Couple who lost older son to NDLEA Officials’ bullet battle to save second baby’s sight.”
Duru was a runner-up in the Notore Chemical Prize for Environment Reporter of the Year category.
Our reporter, Alao Abiodun, was also a finalist in the category.
Duru and Abiodun were also runners-up in the Keystone Bank Prize for CSR Reporter of the Year category.
Duru and Assistant Business Editor, Collins Nweze, were runners-up in the Union Bank Prize for Banking and Finance Reporter of the Year category.
Duru was also a finalist for the Ernest Sisei Ikoli Prize for Newspaper Reporter of the Year, as well as the Abubakar Imam Prize for Newspaper Features Writer of the Year.
Duru also made it to the final three of the Ibrahim Shekarau Prize for Education Reporter of the Year category.
Serial winner Chikodi Okereocha won the Peter Odili Prize for Power Reporter of the Year.
Deputy Editor Dr Emmanuel Oladesu won the Lateef Jakande Prize for Political Reporter of the Year, demonstrating his mastery of the beat.
He was a runner-up in the Olusegun Mimiko Prize for Foreign News Reporter of the Year category, where Gboyega Alaka of the Weekend Desk was also a finalist.
Serial winner Taiwo Alimi won the 9Mobile Prize for Most Innovative Reporter of the Year.
He was a runner-up in the Sports Reporting category.
Star reporter Justina Asishana won the Bukola Saraki Prize for Agriculture Reporter of the Year with the report: “Double agony for physically challenged farmers in Niger.”
Our reporter Emma Elekwa was a runner-up in the category. His entry: “Erratic power supply cripples poultry businesses in Anambra,” made a strong showing.
Head of Business on the Weekend Desk, Ibrahim Yusuf, was named winner of the Coca-Cola Nigeria Prize for Brand & Marketing Reporter of the Year.
Our maritime correspondent, Kemi Dauda, was a runner-up in the Nigerian Ports Authority Prize for Maritime Reporter of the Year.
Our aviation correspondent, Kelvin Osa Okunbor, had two nominations in the Aviation Industry Reporter of the Year category.
The Nation cartoonists, Muyiwa Adetula and Solomon Victor Izekor, were runners-up in the Nnamdi Azikiwe Prize for Cartoonist of the Year category.
This newspaper’s editorial, “Scam on seven floors,” published on December 30, 2024, was a runner-up in the Prize for Editorial Writing category, which was won by The Punch.
The Punch also edged The Nation for the Newspaper of the Year prize.
The Guardian was the third nominee in the category.
It was the same for the Editor of the Year, where The Nation’s Adesina was the first runner-up.
A highlight of the night was the nine individual honours won by ex-The Punch staff member Godfrey George.
Other winners on the night were reporters of The Punch, The Guardian, Nigerian Tribune, The Sun, New Telegraph and Condia.
Television Continental (TVC) won the NBC Prize for Television Station of the Year, while FRCN was named Radio Station of the Year.
NMMA Trustee and Chairman of the Eminent Panel of Assessors, Mr Dele Adetiba, said 800 entries of works published or broadcast in 2024 were received; each winner scored 70 per cent.
He said the organisers were working to digitise the entry process to end the current cumbersome hardcopy submission format.
Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy & Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, who delivered the keynote address, urged the media to continue to hold the government accountable, especially in the use of public funds.
He noted that the role of the media includes tracking “whether public funds deliver value”.
Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, represented by former Registrar of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON, Alhaji Garba Bello Kankarofi, assured the media of the Tinubu Administration’s commitment to safeguarding press freedom.
“The government will continue to support policies that guarantee a free press,” he said.
In the January 12, 2025, edition of The Nation, we published an interview with former Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim, titled ‘My problem with Chris Anyanwu’s book.’
In the said interview, Ohakim made comments and claims touching on Senator Anyanwu’s family, political and professional accomplish- ments as well as her ties with past military regimes.
The comments and claims made in the interview are entirely those of the former Imo governor. However, they were published without confirming their veracity.
We hereby retract them.
We apologise for any inconveniences and embarrassment the publication may have caused Senator Anyanwu.
A senior Correspondent with The Nation Newspaper, Justina Jumai Asishana, has been selected as one of 40 journalists across West Africa to participate in the 2025 Kwame Karikari Fact-Checking and Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Fellowship.
Since 2019, Dubawa has been holding annual fellowships for journalists, fact-checkers and researchers in The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone to equip them with skills in fact-checking and verification in combating the widespread regime of misinformation in the West African sub-region and to also contribute to knowledge around information disorder in the subregion.
This year’s cohort was drawn from different media platforms across six West African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal
DUBAWA’s Project Manager for West Africa, Roselena Ahiable, in a statement, said that the 2025 fellowship is an act of collective resistance noting that DUBAWA, through this fellowship, is building a human firewall composed of critical thinkers armed with tools to expose hidden puppet strings to distinguish authentic voices from manufactured ones and protect the sanctity of our information ecosystem.
“This year’s fellowship is more than just a training. Each fellow who will emerge from this programme carries not just technical skills but a sacred responsibility to be the antibody to information disorder.
“In this new era of information warfare, it’s not just professional development, it’s an act of patriotism,” she said.
DAIDAC’s digital investigations manager, Silas Jonathan, noted that the selection of the fellows, which involves combining past fellows and new ones, signals a unique way to have expert-level engagement so that we can respond to these rising issues.
He said that this year’s fellowship is unique because it addresses anti-democratic narratives and polarising messaging that have now flooded our information ecosystem.
“This year’s fellowship will help counter the challenge of disinformation, particularly as it pertains to anti-democratic narratives, and polarising messaging in terms of terror groups and other issues that have been invasive in our society.
“The selection of the fellows, combining past fellows and new ones, also signals that this is a unique way to have expert-level engagement so that we can respond to these rising issues,” he said.
The Fellows have been trained to apply OSINT tools to fact-checking.
As part of the three-month fellowship, DUBAWA will support fellows in creating fact-checking units in their respective media platforms, further expanding their media dynamics. The fellowship will help participants network with other media personalities, expand their professional social groups, and amplify their voices.
The fellowship is named after veteran Ghanaian media scholar Prof. Kwame Karikari, a staunch advocate for press freedom and media development in Africa.
Media house seeks action on land trespass, threat to life
Vintage Press Limited, publishers of the The Nation, has raised the alarm over threat to the lives of its workers and illegal occupation of its landed property in Abuja.
The property, measuring approximately 7,363.81 square meters is on Plot 485, Cadastral Zone 07-07, Sabon Lugbe East Layout, in the Federal Capital Territory FCT.
In separate petitions to Inspector-General (IG) Kayode Egbetokun and Department of State Services (DSS) Director-General (DG) Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, the company accused land grabbers of forcibly encroaching into the property, using violence and intimidation to claim ownership.
Attached to the petitions were relevant documents backing the company’s claim to the ownership of the land.
In the petitions, signed by the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief (MD/E-i-C), Mr. Victor Ifijeh, the company laced its legal ownership of the land with a Deed of Assignment it executed with Platinum Ventures Ltd.
Ifijeh said the company has been in peaceful possession of the land for over 18 years until the recent invasion by those he described as land grabbers.
He expressed concern that the trespassers, who chased away members of staff and threatened to kill them if they returned, boasted of having connections with every law enforcement agency in Abuja.
The MD said such was unheard of and unacceptable in a country regulated by the rule of law.
Ifijeh urged the IG and the DSS DG to use their good offices to arrest and investigate the criminal land grabbing cartel and their cohorts.
He also urged them to investigate the criminal activities of land marauders and their cohorts in the FCT Administration, with a view to ascertaining the origin of the forged documents, letters of allocation and payment receipts purportedly used for payment of the land being claimed.
Ifijeh also urged security agencies to give the company enhanced security cover “due to the nature of our business, as we are unsure of the exact motives of the criminal cartel”.
The petition reads: “Our company (Vintage Press Ltd) is the beneficial owner of the landed property measuring approximately 7,363.81 Square Meters situate at Plot 485 Cadastral Zone 07-07, Sabon Lugbe East Layout Abuja by virtue of Deed of Assignment duly executed between Platinum Ventures Ltd and Vintage Press Ltd and our company has been in peaceful possession of the land for over 18 YEARS until recent times when the land was invaded by land grabbers.
“Dekor Ventures was the original allottee of the land measuring approximately 7,363.81 square meters, situated on Plot 485, Cadastral Zone 07-07, Sabon Lugbe East Layout Abuja by virtue of the “offer of terms of grant/conveyance of approval” dated 11/3/1998 with Ref. No: MFCT/ZA/AMA/SLE 485 by the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
“The land was subsequently re-allotted to Platinum Ventures Ltd by the Ministry for Federal Capital Territory Land Planning and Survey, AMAC Zonal Planning Office by virtue of ‘offer of terms of grant/conveyance of approval’ dated 27/2/2003 and Certificate of Occupancy dated 19th February 2004 registered as 82/82/12 at the Land Administration Registry Office, Abuja Municipal Area Council, Garki.
“Our company, through its sister company, Canon Properties & Investment Ltd, by letter dated 12th July 2007, written to Messrs Ahmed Uwais & Co, which was duly acknowledged via letter dated 25th July 2007, concluded negotiation and acquisition of the land in question from Platinum Ventures Ltd.
“It is worthy to note that among the terms and conditions for the purchase of the land are the Processing of Recertification of Certificate of Occupancy issued in the name of Platinum Ventures Limited with ABUJA Geographic Information System (AGIS) and obtaining the Consent of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory to the Deed of Assignment executed between Vintage Press Ltd and Platinum Ventures Limited.
The above was made necessary by the then Minister of the FCT who formed AGIS.
“Our company did not only pay for processing of the Recertification of the Certificate of Occupancy but also paid Platinum Ventures Limited’s solicitor’s professional fees to that effect. Find attached is Abuja GIS dated 2013-03-11 as payment for the revalidation fee made by our company.
“Attached herein is the Application for Revalidation of Area Council Title Organisation Form filled by our company in respect to the land in question.
“We also attach a letter dated 25th July 2007 by Ahmed Uwais and Co-written on behalf of the company where it was stated that the vendor had fixed a date to execute the deed of Assignment in our clients favour.
“The company had at all times through its Solicitors (Adeleke Adeyemo and Co and Ahmed Uwais and Co) engaged in a legitimate purchase of the property with the real owners who put it in possession and have been in peaceful undisturbed possession for over 18 years.
“Also find attached letter dated 24th October 2014 written by Messrs Ahmed Uwais and Co acknowledging fee paid by our company so far in respect of the processing of Recertification and his processing fee.
“Furthermore, in April 2024, Statutory Right Of Occupancy Bill in the sum of N14,837,916.00 (Fourteen million, eight hundred and thirty seven thousand, nine hundred and sixteen naira) was raised by the Federal Capital Territory Administration Department of Land Administration in the name of Platinum Ventures Ltd for issuance of Statutory Right of Occupancy. New Number: MISC 95638, Old Number: MISC 3392 DATED 24/04/2024.
“Our company had since paid the bill. Attached herewith is the payment receipt.
“However, to our greatest surprise, land grabbers forcefully entered into the land (the portion fenced round and being used for farm by some of our staff) sometime in March, armed with weapons and ammunition, chased out the security guards manning the land and threatened to kill or maim anybody that comes back to the land.
“They boasted of having “close connection” with every law enforcement agency in Abuja and that there is nothing anybody can do to them. This is appalling and unheard of in the city of power and a country regulated by law.”
Reporters at The Nation have been encouraged to brace for more challenges next year.
The charge came in a memo from the newspaper’s Editorial Adviser, Prof Olatunji Dare, to the Managing Director /Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Victor Ifijeh.
Prof Dare, who did an appraisal of the newspaper in the outgoing year, said The Nation, despite closing the year on an enviable note, should do more to win more laurels as a clear leader in the journalism profession.
The Professor of Journalism Emeritus commended the award-winning reporters at the yearly Diamonds Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) and the Nigerian Media Merit Awards (NMMA), and the sub-editors who shaped the stories.
The memo reads: “We are ending the year on a strong note. Not as strong in the previous two years when we won the largest number and the most prestigious prizes at the DAME awards and the NNMA, but a strong note nonetheless. The field was deeper and the competition keener, but we still came up in the top ranks of the newspaper industry.
“At DAME, we placed second overall and won the award for Editorial Writing, a journalistic form that performs the important function of providing leadership on public issues, as well as the award for family-friendly reporting, confirming our status as a newspaper for the whole family.
“At the NMMA, we won nine awards outright and placed second overall. Remarkably, our reporter, Innocent Duru, won four prizes, thus validating his designation as Print Journalist of the Year.
“His awards came in such diverse fields as foreign affairs, public health, and tourism. Our Southsouth editor won the Energy Correspondent of the Year award with an engrossing story on the oil industry and its depredation in the oil-producing areas, a story that combined excellent reporting with excellent writing.
“I take some personal satisfaction in remarking their outstanding qualities at the time some of the stories were published and recommending that they be entered for the industry awards.
“Congratulations to the winners and runners-up and all those who earned honourable mentions. Congratulations to the editor and his team for shaping the award-winning entries.
“As in previous years, management created and sustained an environment that encouraged and rewarded outstanding work.
“The jockeying for the 2025 awards is already in progress. Our challenge is to regain lost territory and explore new areas with unwavering adherence to the ethics of the profession of journalism.
“Best wishes to all for a productive and rewarding year, in good health and good cheer.”
The journalists were awarded during the ICIR OCRP close-out and journalism award ceremony held in Abuja.
The Nation’s Niger state correspondent won the fifth position and was commended for her reports on procurement and open contract in Niger state and the north-central.
Archibong Jeremiah Oganga from The Investigator emerged as the overall winner of the award, Hafsat Bello Mohammed from Premier Radio emerged 2nd, Ekemini Simon from The Mail emerged 3rd, Gideon Arinze emerged 4th, Justina Asishana from The Nation emerged 5th and Hadiza Musa from Primetime News emerged 6th.
The Executive Director of the ICIR, Dayo Aiyetan, said that the Open Contract Reporting Project (OCRP} began seven years ago to hold government and organizations accountable, especially regarding procurement.
He said that the project had trained 300 journalists across Nigeria on open contract reporting and had recorded over 500 quality investigative reports from journalists across the country.
“Seven years after, we have wonderful stories. We have gotten several journalists interested in Investigative journalism. I can say that most journalists would not have done critical investigative reporting if not for this project. It has been impactful.”
He appreciated the MacArthur Foundation for their support in supporting the project and ensuring that journalists get the report they need to carry out critical investigative reporting while also applauding the anti-corruption agencies and CSOs for their collaboration on the project.
Aiyetan further called on the government to stop hounding journalists who do critical investigative reporting with the use of the Cybercrime Act, pointing out that this poses a danger to the democracy of Nigeria if it continues.
“Any society that does not allow a free press to thrive is not serious about democracy. We need to fight this and ensure that it does not continue.”
Ijọba apapọ ti ki awọn aṣoju-kọroyin meji ti wọn gbe ni Kaduna kaabọ lẹyin tawọn ajinigbe tun wọn silẹ.
Awọn akọroyin ọhun ni AbdulGafar Alabẹlewe tiwe iroyin The Nation ati AbdulRaheem Aodu toun ṣiṣẹ fun Blueprint.
Bẹẹ ni wọn tun fi iyawo Alabẹlewe atawọn ọmọ meji mii-ii ti wọn fi si igbekun naa silẹ.
Mohammed Idris lati ileeṣẹ eto iroyin ati ilanilọyẹ lo gba awọn eeyan pada lọwọ Nuhu Ribadu, oludamọran pataki fun eto aabo lorileede yii.
Idris wa gboriyin fun ileeṣẹ eto abo lori akitiyan bi wọn ṣe gba awọn oniroyin mejeeji atawọn ẹbi wọn silẹ ninu igbekun awọn ajinigbe ọhun.
O sọ pe awọn dupẹ gidi lati rii pe awọn ti wọn ji gbe naa pada sile wọn ni alaaye, o ni gbogbo igbesẹ ti wọn gbe lawọn gbọ, tawọn si waa fi ẹmi imoore han.
O lo akoko naa lati fi rọ gbogbo ọmọ Naijiria lati nigbagbọ ninu ijọba Tinubu atawọn alaabo lorileede nitori akọ iṣẹ ni wọn n ṣe.
Ko to to akoko yii ni Ribadu ti sọ pe awọn marun un lawọn gba silẹ pẹlu ifọwọsowọpọ awọn alaabo ilu gbogbo.
Bakan naa ni Alabẹlewe fi ẹmi imoore han lori bi awọn alaabo ṣe gba wọn silẹ lọwọ awọn ajinigbe yii, eyi to fi igbagbọ han pe loootọ atododo awọn eeyan naa ṣiṣẹ wọn tọkantọkan.
Professor of Journalism, Emeritus, Olatunji Dare, has urged The Nation to maintain the qualities that saw it shine at the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) and the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA), two of the foremost media rating institutions in Nigeria.
The Nation was named Newspaper of the Year at the 32nd edition of DAME for the third time in four years.
This newspaper won it in 2020 and 2022 and was the runner-up for the category in 2021.
The editor, Adeniyi Adesina, won the Editor of the Year prize, also for the third time in four years.
At the NMMA, The Nation won the highest number of awards at the 31st edition with 15 individual honours – six more than the rest.
In a letter to Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh, Dr Dare, who is this newspaper’s editorial adviser, wrote: “As adjudged by its professional peers and contemporary experts, The Nation should by rights be stepping into the New Year with measured confidence and optimism – measured because of the intensely competitive nature of the industry.
“Several weeks ago, it won the most trophies at the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence, including Newspaper of the Year and Editor of the Year, the latter for the second year running.
“Last week, at the NMMA outing, a parallel platform conferring recognition on outstanding media fare, it won the most trophies in fields ranging from editorial cartoons to entertainment reporting, picking up along the way prizes for editorial writing, business reporting, and environmental writing. Where it did not win outright, it was adjudged runner-up.
“Over the years, those who have followed this newsletter congratulating the management, editorial leadership and staffers of The Nation on one winning streak after another may have come to regard writing it as a routine. It is nothing of the sort.
“Each cycle presents its own challenges, not the least of which is rejoicing without preening, and without lulling the establishment into complacency.
“Winning has not been a routine at The Nation. It has resulted, I am in a position to assert, from hard, sustained imaginative thinking, enterprise, judgment, dedication to craft and conscience, adherence to and constant self-examination, and adherence to the best practices.
“The Nation must never compromise these means and goals.
“Congratulations again to the management and editorial leadership of the paper, to staffers who have won prizes time and again, to first-time prize-winners, and to those who were nominated for prizes.
“For us, the coming year should be one of renewal.”
The industry eminence of The Nation journalists was reaffirmed by another prestigious media rating institution: the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) at the weekend. It came a week after this newspaper was named the best in the land by the illustrious Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME). Deputy News Editor JOSEPH JIBUEZE reports.
Another year, another haul of media laurels for The Nation and its journalists.
This newspaper parades the best in the land, and it is official.
If there were doubts, they have finally been laid to rest.
Last Sunday, The Nation showed class again, winning the highest number of awards at the 31st edition of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA).
This newspaper won 15 individual honours at the grand presentation which held at the Shell Grand Functions Hall of the MUSON Centre in Lagos.
It also had the most nominations, with 33.
It was a repeat of last year’s feat when this newspaper also won the highest number of awards (15) at the 30th edition held at Eko Hotels and Suites.
Going back to 2021 in Kogi State, The Nation had won 16 awards, also the most, with a record 35 nominations.
Two Sundays ago, your favourite daily was declared Newspaper of the Year at the 32nd Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME).
It was a haul of the honours on the night of glamour at the highly-regarded award event which was held at the Oriental Hotel on Victoria Island.
The Nation was named the best for the third time in four years. It had won the DAME Newspaper of the Year in 2020 and 2022 and was the runner-up for the category in 2021.
The editor, Adeniyi Adesina, was named Editor of the Year, also for the third time in four years.
This newspaper’s feat at NMMA is even more remarkable given the rigorous entry assessment process.
The organisers received 980 entries, a majority of them from newspapers.
Chairman of the Eminent Panel of Assessors, Dele Adietiba, who said the NMMA has come a long way since the first edition in 1992 with the categories increasing from 11 to 51, explained how the winners are selected.
He said the call for entries is advertised in the third quarter of the year for work published the previous year.
“Each assessor evaluates the entries alone, after which a group of assessors handling a particular category meet to reconcile their scores.
“That way, the scores given to a person are not at the whim of just one assessor,” he said.
For the first time, NMMA accepted electronic entries, which increased the number to 980 from 837.
“We stake our reputation on the standard and fairness of our assessments.
“There are awards and there are awards, but there is only one NMMA.
“In a large part, this is due to the expertise, experience and integrity that our assessors bring to bear on their work,” the NMMA trustee said.
Adetiba said an entry does not win just because it tops the category.
It must also score not less than 70 per cent after the five members of the group have reconciled their scores.
In assessing each entry, the assessors use the criteria of language, originality, depth, perspective and accuracy.
The Nation was a runner-up in the Newspaper of the Year category, won by The Punch, which had 32 nominations.
The Punch won nine individual honours on the night. Its editor Dayo Oketola was named winner of the Dele Giwa Prize for Editor of the Year.
Other nominees for the Babatunde Jose Prize for Newspaper of the Year were The Guardian and Daily Trust.
The Nation’s winning haul began with the first category: Bashorun MKO Abiola Prize for Sports Reporter of the Year, won by Taiwo Alimi.
His winning entry is entitled: Qatar World Cup: the cost of Nigeria’s failure.
Akinbo Wonder of The Punch and Ajibade Samson of New Telegraph were the runners-up.
Alimi was also named winner of the Olusegun Mimiko Prize for Foreign News Reporter of the Year, a category in which Assistant Editor Innocent Duru and Gboyega Alaka of the weekend desk were nominees.
The winning entry is entitled: My 25-month ordeal in Saudi camp.
Deputy Editor Dr Emmanuel Oladesu won the Bukola Saraki Prize for Agriculture Reporter of the Year with the story: Tackling food and nutrition crises in Nigeria.
He beat Nnodin Okechukwu of The Punch and Atainyang Etim of Watchman Post to the honour.
Oladesu also won the Lateef Jakande Prize for Political Reporter of the Year. The winning entry is 2023 census: Can Nigeria get it right?
His deputy on the political desk, Raymond Mordi, and Augustine Avwode of The Point, formerly of The Nation, were also nominees in the category.
Our Niger State Correspondent Justina Asishana won the Olagunsoye Oyinlola Prize for Culture & Tradition Reporter of the Year. Her story: Cross River communities where girls are used as collateral, turned into sex slaves, came tops. Alaka was a nominee in the category.
Duru won the Buba Marwa Prize for Defence Reporter of the Year with the story: Pathetic tales of Benue children orphaned by killer herdsmen.
Our Head of Crime/ Metro Desk, the savvy star reporter Mrs Precious Igbonwelundu, was a nominee in the category.
Duru was also named the winner of Etisalat Prize for Most Innovative Reporter of the Year, beating Oghenovo Michael and Godfrey George, both of The Punch.
The winning entry is entitled: Inside illegal oil bunkering business across borders.
The Ernest Sisei Ikoli Prize for Newspaper Reporter of the Year also went to Duru, a serial award winner. His standout entry was: Libya returnees desert camps, head back to Sahara Desert.
Our Southsouth Regional Manager Shola O’Neil won the NAFCON Prize for Environment Reporter of the Year with the story: N/DELTA SOOT ARMAGEDDON: Nightmare for citizens, cash cow for criminals, security agents.
He beat Ujorha Onoseme of Daily Trust and Janet Ogundepo of The Punch.
Assistant Business Editor and multi-award winner Collins Nweze clinched the Union Bank Prize for Banking and Finance Reporter of the Year. His winning entry is New naira notes: new tears for visually-impaired customers.
He also won the Access Bank Prize for Capital Market Reporter of the Year, ahead of The Guardian, The Punch and Premium Times reporters, with the entry: Concern as investors, depositors dollarise assets to beat double-digit inflation.
Head of Business on the Weekend Desk, Ibrahim Yusuf, won the Coca-Cola Prize for Brand and Marketing Reporter of the Year. His winning story is entitled: How fresh consumption tax will remove food-drinks from menu list.
He beat Gbenga Salau of The Guardian and Janet Ogundipe of The Punch.
The gong for the MTN Prize for Telecommunications Reporter of the Year went to Assistant Editor Lucas Ajanaku.
The winning entry was: Why the menace of unknown terrorist callers persists.
He bested Solomon Odeniyi of The Punch and Adepetun Olalekan of The Guardian.
Our chief cartoonist Muyiwa Adetula won the Nnamdi Azikiwe Prize for Cartoonist of the Year with the entry: Hunger Index, ahead of Emenike Chukwuemeka of New Telegraph and Adeeko Femi of the Nigerian Tribune.
Gabriel Ogunjobi won the Alex Ibru Prize for Investigative Reporter of the Year. His entry is entitled In Nigeria, refining oil cost more than human lives.
Olufemi Cornelius and Janet Ogundepo, both of The Punch, were the runners-up in the highly competitive category.
The Nation was a runner-up in the Prize for Editorial Writing of the Year category, with the entry: Stop the bleeding. It was won by the Nigerian Tribune.
The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) won the NBC Prize for Radio Station of the Year ahead of Wazobia FM and Raypower.
The Guardian (three awards), Vanguard (two), Daily Sun and New Telegraph reporters were the other winners.
Channels was named winner of the NBC Prize for Television Station of the Year.
Arise and Television Continental (TVC) were the other nominees.
Entry limit
The NMMA said stories can no longer be entered in more than three categories.
Previously, individuals had been named winners in multiple categories.
Adetiba said: “The rules stipulate that you can only make entries in three categories; not more.
“So, when you have entrants that send in five, six, seven categories, that begins to look like gambling.
“What we did in previous years was to mark all the entries and select the best three. That was like condoning illegality.
“So, from next year, if you send in entries to more than three categories, all the entries will be ignored.”
Okunna’s agenda
Professor of Mass Communication Chinyere Okunna, who delivered the award lecture, urged the media to take their agenda setting functions seriously.
According to her, the NMMA, which she described as “Africa’s foremost media excellence trust”, stands out given the assessment rigour.
She said: “We must recognise and reward people in the industry who have seized the power of the media to do the right thing for the benefit of society. The media are powerful, particularly at the information level.
“There are other very important functions predicated on the information function. Think about the power of the media to set agenda for society – which is both a concept and function.
“Agenda setting simply means that the media have the power to place on the agenda a few items or issues. And once the issues become major topics and get on the media agenda, society begins to see their importance and discuss them, and the media agenda becomes the people’s agenda and shapes policies.”
Okunna said the media are also powerful by virtue of their status conferral capability.
She explained: “By simply reporting people, journalists confer power, importance and legitimacy on them.”
The media, she noted, also serves as the watchdog of society, calling the powerful to order when they derail.
“But if we don’t do these things ethically, we will not be rewarded. As you do this work as media professionals, remember the awesome power you wield on behalf of the people.
“You must not abuse that power through propaganda or character assassination,” Okunna advised.
Distinguished National/Media Leadership awards were presented to The Guardian publisher Maiden Ibru; former presidential adviser and publisher Mallam Abba Dabo, a communications expert Chief Kamardeen Odunsi, renowned theatre artist Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycet, among others.
Dabo called for a restoration of the values that shaped early media practice.
“We must be able to mobilise all the stakeholders to uphold the values of the profession, such as accuracy, accountability and ethical conduct,” he said.
The fifth Chairman of the NMMA Board of Trustees, Chief Dayo Duyile, who obtained a Ph.D. at 83, urged the winners to treasure the awards as “invaluable assets”, adding that the cash prizes are just tokens of appreciation for their excellent work.
He praised the assessors for their efforts and paid tribute to his predecessors.
“As a tradition, the NMMA tries to uphold its values, which it considers very important…we keep in focus the vision and values of our establishment over the years,” Duyile said.
He thanked the NMMA sponsors and partners for their support.
About The Nation
The Nation hit the newsstands on July 31, 2006, with the credo: Truth in Defence of Freedom.
Two years later, it began printing in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. This enabled it to reach most towns and cities in the six geo-political zones serving timely and fresh news.
The feat earned The Nation instant acceptance by readers and advertisers.
It quickly climbed up the ladder to become the market leader and the widest-circulating newspaper in Nigeria.
The newspaper is committed to its mission to provide the public with the information they need to be free and self-governing in a democratic society; to vigorously champion a return to fundamental principles of federalism, believing that it is the arrangement that can best advance the multifarious interests of citizens in a country of many nations and faiths such as Nigeria; and to serve as an independent monitor of power and hold those entrusted with its exercise accountable.
The Nation showed class again at the 32nd edition of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME), demonstrating industry leadership by winning eight awards, including Editor of the Year and Newspaper of the Year. Deputy News Editor JIBUEZE JIBUEZE reports.
This newspaper’s industry leadership was reaffirmed on Sunday night.
For the third time, The Nation was named Newspaper of the Year at the 32nd Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME).
When this newspaper won it last year, it beat its closest rival by a point. This time, the margin was wider.
It was a haul of the honours on the night glamour at the ballroom of the Oriental Hotel in Lagos on Sunday.
This newspaper’s editor, Adeniyi Adesina, won in the category of Editor of the Year for the third time.
Declaring this newspaper as the best in the land, the organisers said: “In emerging as the Newspaper of the Year for the third successive year, The Nation recorded 27 points made up of six first-place positions, three second-place positions, and three third-place positions.
“This amounts to six gold medals, two silver, and three bronze.
“The gold medals are in Child-friendly Reporting, Editorial Writing, Education Reporting, Lagos Reporting, Sports Reporting, and News Photography.
“The silver medals are in Education Reporting, Health Reporting, and Nutrition Reporting.
“The bronze medals are in Insurance Reporting, Judicial Reporting, and Niger Delta Reporting.
“It is the fourth time in eight years that The Nation is winning this category.
“Established on July 31, 2006, The Nation continues to grow in stature and influence.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, The Nation, the Newspaper of the Year.”
This newspaper also won the Editorial Writing prize with the entry: Stop the bleeding, published on October 20, 2022.
The Punch was the runner-up in the category.
Explaining why The Nation’s entry came up tops, the organisers said: “This is an award endowed by the late Tunji Oseni, a great editor, respected columnist, and a fine gentleman in the hope that the great tradition of editorial writing through which the official position of a newspaper is reflected will be sustained and handled with the responsibility that it deserves.
“We will all agree that the importance of oil revenue to the national economy is too important to trifle with, which is why The Nation is understandably pained at the way the issue of crude oil theft was handled by the Buhari Administration.
“For a government that made anti-corruption a cardinal focus, The Nation identifies corruption as the culprit in the rising cases of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta.
“The Nation cannot fathom how as much as 437,000 barrels of crude oil, amounting to $10 billion was stolen daily for a seven month period.
“It saw the N40 billion contract given to an allegedly repentant militant to expose the oil thieves as nothing more than scandalous official collusion.
“The judges found the editorial lucid, its logic sound, and its presentation, pungent.
“They also hope that the issues raised are being addressed by the current administration. Please let’s give The Nation a warm hand.”
Editorial Board Chairman Sam Omatseye received the plaques for Editorial Writing, Newspaper of the Year and Editor of the Year.
Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief, Mr. Victor Ifijeh, described the awards as rewards for high performance.
He urged the management and staff to sustain the high standards.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in a congratulatory letter signed by Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the recognition was well deserved.
The letter addressed to Ifijeh reads: “I write on behalf of the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu, to congratulate The Nation family for winning the Newspaper of The Year Award at the 32nd edition of DAME for the third consecutive year.
“I would also like to acknowledge the Editor of the Year award and other notable recognitions bagged by this newspaper from a credible organisation led by frontline media chiefs.
“The Nation ‘continues to grow in stature and influence’ because of its exceptional performance, buoyed by journalists who have distinguished themselves in their various beats.
“These remarkable accomplishments serve as a testament to the unwavering hard work and dedication exhibited by the staff since The Nation‘s establishment on July 31, 2006.
“It is noteworthy that Lagos shares some values with The Nation – our resilience, endurance and tenacity; the ability to bounce back after a bad experience.
“This is what we call the Spirit of Lagos. It never gives up; it never gets tired; and it never loses its focus and dynamism.
“I have no doubt that the wealth of experience, scholarship, commitment and dedication displayed by your reporters and production crew will make the newspaper retain its status as the best in the country.
“Once again, I, on behalf of the Executive Council and the great people of Lagos, congratulate you on these feats and wish you more exciting accomplishment.”
Board member, Sunday Adeleke, hailed the newspaper’s performance.
He said in a statement: “We give glory to God for the latest DAME awards. We also appreciate greatly our management and staff for the sterling performance.
“We (the board) should congratulate ourselves for being able to create the enabling environment for our employees to fly and soar. Finally, we give God Almighty the Glory for the massive success.”
The Nation beat The Punch and Premium Times to clinch the biggest prize of the night.
Adesina beat Dayo Oketola of The Punch and Idris Akinbajo of Premium Times to win Editor of the Year.
The Nation’s Frank Ikpefan won the Education Reporter of the Year prize.
His entry, published on October 27, 2022, is entitled: How state governments neglect schools for physically challenged pupils.
Ikpefan’s colleague, Grace Obike, was a runner-up in the category. Deborah Kolawole of The Punch was the other nominee.
Ikpefan also won the Child-Friendly Reporter of the Year, beating Temitope Omogbolagun of The Punch and Ojoma Akor of Daily Trust.
The winning entry is entiled: How Nigeria’s early childhood education scheme breeds more out-of-school kids. It was published December 15, 2022.
The Nation Taiwo Alimi was named Sports Reporter of the Year with the entry: Qatar World Cup: the cost of Nigeria’s failure, published on May 1, 2022. He beat Peter Akinbo and Gift Habib, both of The Punch.
Alimi was a runner-up in the Health Reporting category, won by Alfred Ajayi of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), with Ojomo Akor as the third nominee.
The Lagos Reporting prize went to The Nation Associate Editor, Adekunle Yusuf, who beat Gbenga Salau of The Guardian and Ayoola Olasupo of The Punch.
Yusuf’s story is entitled: We are neglected, two Lagos slums cry out for help. It was published on May 2, 2022.
Head of The Nation photography unit, Isaac Jimoh Ayodele, won the News Photographer of the Year. He captured passengers boarding a bus through the window. It was published December 27, 2022.
Ayodele beat Akeem Salau of Vanguard and Ayuba Raji of Blueprint.
The Nation reporters were runners-up in other categories. Assistant Business Editor and serial winner Collins Nweze was the second runner-up in the Insurance Reporting category, which was won by Ronald Adamolekun of Premium Times.
Nike Popoola of The Punch was the first runner-up.
Southsouth Regional Manager Shola O’Neil was the second runner-up in the Niger Delta Reporting category, won by Yekeen Akinwale of The Cable. Soni Daniel of Vanguard was the first runner-up.
Former Health Correspondent, Moses Emorinken, was the first runner-up in the Nutrition Reporting category. Adesola Ikulajolu of Ripples Nigeria was the winner, with Adamolekun the second runner-up.
Kemi Busari of Premium Times won the Investigative Reporter of the Year with a story on deadly herbal medicine, a day after he won the top prize at the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism.
Tunde Ajala of The Punch and Ibrahim Adeyemi of Premium Times were runners-up.
The Informed Commentary Prize went to Lasisi Olagunju, Editor of Saturday Tribune, whose column in the newspaper is published on Mondays. Ikechukwu Amaechi and Chidi Odinkalu, both of the Vanguard, were the runners-up.
Other winners are The Guardian (Best Designed Media Website ahead of The Punch and BusinessDay), The Sun (Best Designed Newspaper ahead of Daily Trust and ThisDay), and Damola Olufemi of The Punch (Judicial Reporting).
On why The Sun won the honour, the assessors said: “The DAME judges observed that our newspapers are generally centred on improving their cover pages.
“They largely remain seven-column tabloids with a single picture on each inside page and scant use of white space except the gutters.
“The papers still need to utilise more the resources of the widespread availability of digital technology, layout templates and digital layout assistants.
“The Sun is a head above others as it gingerly applies its Sunday edition look in a few pages.
“The use of a picture occupying almost the entire height of the page, the use of text-wrapping around pictures which is so easy to apply with digital apps and the use of multiple pictures on a page all stand out.
“Perhaps this will encourage The Sun and its competitors to fully revamp their dailies, going forward.”
DAME Trustee Lanre Idowu stressed the need for the media to continue to provide the necessary guidance to society through their reporting.
He said: “In the course of going through the entries we received this year, we noticed a rising pattern of foreign-funded but indigenous media fellowships to support reporting of local issues.
“Since many media houses appear not to have the requisite resources to fund these investigations, there are a lot of collaborations going on.
“When we were younger, the ethos was that we didn’t want competitors to know what we were working on, but now there is a coming together of competitors collaborating.”
He said while it is not bad to collaborate, the media should be careful not to cede its obligations to “interests that are not for our advantage.”
He said there were also great stories with strong lines, but which failed because of poor execution and loss of focus. This, Idowu said, led to some categories being stepped down.
He also noted the rise of artificial intelligence and its impact on the media, especially regarding fake news.
A high point of the night was the conferment of ThisDay publisher Nduka Obaigbena with the Lifetime Achievement award.
Former The Guardian Managing Director Emeka Izeze and former Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Sun, Mike Awoyinfa, were named DAME Honorary Fellows. The honour is a tier lower than the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The organisers said of the ThisDay publisher: “Obaigbena’s media journey began with the Nigerian Observer in 1978, where he displayed his creative talents as a satirist, writer, and cartoonist.
“He later became a Section Representative for the international news magazine, Newsweek.
“At Time magazine, he helped to develop Special Survey and Country sections on four African countries: Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, and Zimbabwe.
“In 1986, at the young age of 27, he became the founding editor-in-chief of ThisWeek magazine, a generational publishing statement, which was strong in economic and political analyses, penetrating in national and international affairs, colourful, rich and entertaining in its back-of-book features on art and culture.
“The publication was an assemblage of some of the nation’s finest journalists at the time.
“Obaigbena’s impact became so evident in governance and politics that he was appointed in 1990 as a member of the sub-committee of the Technical Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation which executed the privatisation programme of the Babangida administration.
“In 1991, he was a candidate for the Senate, and in 1994 he was appointed a member of the Constitutional Conference which drafted the current 1999 Constitution.
“In 1995, he introduced ThisDay newspaper, which like the defunct ThisWeek also attracted some of the country’s brightest journalists, who have today become respected media entrepreneurs and administrators.
“Against the grain of conventional wisdom, ThisDay began publishing without its proprietor owning a printing press. Obaigbena’s ThisDay also turned the back page of the newspaper to the prime location for columnists, which today has become an industry standard.
“It was he who introduced the publication of the full table of daily transactions at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); which has also become the norm. His ThisDay newspaper also set the trend in colour paging.
“His Arise TV has brought fresh verve to television programming and delivery. Bold and provocative, it is educative and entertaining with a demonstrable mantra: thou shall not be boring.”
