Two journalists, Chukwuma Muanya and Ajibola Amzat, of The Guardian were among the winners at the 2015 edition of the Nigeria Media Merit Award held in Lagos.
Muanya, who is an Assistant Editor and Head Insight Team, Science & Technology, won the Cecil King Memorial Prize for Print Journalist of the Year, with his story titled “Malaria fights back.”
His colleague, Amzat, who is the Features Editor, also won the MTN Prize for Telecommunications Reporter of the Year with his report titled “How telecoms firms cheat, frustrate subscribers”.
The Guardian’s Abraham Ogbodo and Wole Oyebade were also runners-up in two categories. Ogbodo, who is the editor of The Guardian on Sunday, was shortlisted for Alade Odunewu Prize for Columnist of the Year, with his piece titled “Defence Budgets and Boko Haram”. Oyebade, the State House (Lagos) Correspondent, was the first runner-up for Alex Ibru Prize for Investigative Reporter of the Year with his story, “How Nigeria loses over N1b yearly testing DNA overseas”.
At the grand award presentation ceremony, attended by eminent Nigerians, including National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, and Ambassador Christopher Kolade, no fewer than 53 award categories were won by both print and broadcast journalists.
Chairman, Panel of Assessors, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, said no fewer than 888 entries with 611 entrants were received. There were also 68 entries and 50 entrants for Radio categories, while Television had 87 entries and 65 entrants, making a grand total of 1,043 entries with 726 entrants.
Akinfeleye said all the nominees scored 70 per cent of the total points and this made all nominations to be best works churned out by journalists in Nigeria in 2014.
He added that six categories in broadcast didn’t have winners.
Tinubu commended the winners and nominees, urging them to always keep the flag flying.
