By Udo Ibuot
VANGUARD newspapers won two prizes at the Nigeria Media Merit Awards, NMMA, in Lagos, weekend.
The first prize was in the political reporter of the year category, won by Clifford Ndujihe, with his entry on ‘Nigeria spends N2 trillion on NASS in 21 years.’ The second prize went to Michael Eboh, with his entry on ‘Petrol smugglers lose big’ in the Energy Correspondent of the year category.
Overall, Vanguard had eight nominations. These include Akeem Salau in the news photographer of the year category and Babajide Komolafe in the capital market reporter category. Babajide Komolafe was also nominated in the money market reporter of the year category.
Other nominations were Prince Okafor in the telecommunications reporter of the year category, Nathaniel Ngerem in the cartoonist of the year category, and Esther Onyegbula in the most innovative reporter of the year category.
This came as the chairman of the Panel of Assessors of NMMA, Prof Ralph Akinfeleye, explained that despite the outbreak of Covid-19, more media professionals entered for the awards this year.
He said that 895 entries were received from 625 entrants, adding that this was higher than the 752 entries from 530 entrants to the awards the previous year.
He said that no prize was given in seven categories because the entries did not meet the cutoff point of 70 per cent stipulated by the NMMA.
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He noted that the category of investigative reporting had fewer entries this year, and that these were not deep, while entries in the female reporter of the year category lacked focus.
Winners were also not declared in the brand and marketing reporter of the year, oil and gas reporter of the year, aviation reporter of the year, and columnist of the year categories.
Other categories that had no winners include the business publication of the year, and news magazine of the year. In the broadcast categories, television production of the year and television drama of the year also had no winners declared.
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Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.