By Chioma Onuegbu – Uyo

RETIRED Vice Chairman and Management External Advisor, Upstream Nigeria , ExxonMobil affiliate companies,  Mr. Udom Inoyo, has declared his intention to institute and sponsor N500,000 annual investigative  journalism award in Akwa Ibom state to encourage Professionalism and hard work in media practice.

Inoyo who spoke Friday while delivering a paper entitled “Your Pen, Our Future” at the monthly Congress of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, Uyo, said the award would be called “Ray Ekpu Award for Investigative Journalism.

 He saluted practicing journalists who have decided to remain steadfast, bold, and honest, stressing that for media practitioners in the state to be taken seriously, they must work hard to weed out many self-styled journalists that are doing damage to the noble profession. 

His words, “I have thought of what I could do as my little contribution to the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Akwa Ibom State with regards to this matter. And anywhere that I have gone to in this world, when people talk about journalism, one individual comes to my mind first.

” He is a great son of Akwa Ibom State, an international award-winning journalist, who rose from a position of insignificance to that of global prominence. It is in honour of this  high priest of quality reporting that I hereby request the Executive of the NUJ to accept the institution of an annual award to be called: Ray Ekpu Award for Investigative Journalism.

” This award which will be administered annually by a panel of 5 first-class journalists comprising, two celebrated veteran journalists, one national officer of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE); a nominee of the award sponsor; and the State Chairman of NUJ is aimed at encouraging quality, factual investigative reporting in the State and Nigeria at large.

” The prize money for the winner of this award each year is N500,000(Five hundred thousand naira). But the journalist must be operating from Akwa Ibom State. As we all know, Hard Work, discipline and character, have taken a back seat in our society.

“Let me draw your attention to one more thing which you can do for yourselves, and by extension, society. It is called differentiation. Many self-styled journalists may be doing damage to this noble profession. You must help separate the wheat from the chaff so that the integrity of journalism remains undiluted”
  Inoyo frowned at false sensational stories aimed at tarnishing the image of seasoned sons and daughters of the State.

He pointed out that just within the week, the state woke up to a screaming headline in one of the state-based tabloids suggesting that he (Inoyo) had a meeting two months ago in Calabar with a former governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke.

“And the reporter must have been so important to be privy to Donald’s conversation with Governor Udom Emmanuel that ‘Inoyo is a Hard Sale’. This is a complete falsehood and a mischievous creation of a fiction writer. 

“While I will never border to debunk such falsehood it would be better if all practitioners would uphold the basic tenets of journalism in their daily practice, which includes Truth, Accuracy, Objectivity, Social Responsibility, etc”, Inoyo asserted.

Responding to a question on  the worrisome  issue of  ravaging cult activities especially in secondary school in the state, Inoyo stressed the need to look into the negative manifestations of cultism by asking such  questions as what is driving the children into cultism, and if the system is providing adequate employment opportunities for the youths?

Inoyo also emphasized the need to carry out adequate sensitization and attitudinal reorientation regarding the matter, adding that all hands must  be on deck to explore ways of addressing the root causes of social vices in the society because if not attended to now, may consume everyone in the near future. 

In his brief closing remarks, the State NUJ Council Chairman, Comrade Amos Etuk thanked Mr. Inoyo for instituting the annual award for best investigative reporter, as well as the donation of laptops and cash support towards capacity development of media practitioners in Akwa Ibom State.