The Nation, “Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper”, beat “The Punch” and “The Guardian” to win the best newspaper in Nigeria.
This newspaper last night won the star prize, the Babatunde Jose Prize for the Newspaper of the Year at the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) 2018.
It won five NMMA in Power Reporting, Capital Market Reporting, Money Market Reporting, Innovative Reporting and Newspaper of the Year.
This newspaper was runner-up in 16 categories, namely: Power Reporter of the Year, Agriculture Reporter of the Year, Culture and Tradition Reporter of the Year, Gani Fawehinmi prize for Human Rights Reporter of the Year, Foreign Reporter of the Year, Defence Reporter of the Year, Tourism Reporter of the Year, News Photographer of the Year, Banking and Finance Reporter of the Year, Oil and Gas Reporter of the Year, Most Innovative Reporter of the Year, Investigative Reporter of the Year, Newspaper Reporter of The Year and Editor of the Year.
Chukwuemeka Ugwuanyi opened the door of awards with his entry “Power headache: will it ever get the right pill?”
The entry won the Peter Odili prize for Power Reporter of the Year, beating The Nation’s Taiwo Adebulu and The Punch’s Toluwani Eniola.
Multiple award winner Collins Nweze followed with the Access Bank Prize for Capital Market Reporter of the Year.
Nweze’s two entries: “Sukuk bonds…grassroots investors golden chance” and “Small businesses groan as T-Bills, bonds grab attention” were winner and first runner-up respectively. Both entries trumped New Telegraph’s Ugwu Christopher Ndubuisi’s.
Collins also shone in the UBA Prize for money market Reporter of the Year category with two entries. They are: “AMCON: restorer of businesses (1)” and “Taxation: Endless games…Endless controversies”.
New Telegraph’s Ugwu was third best in the category.
Duru Ekene Innocent received the baton and coasted home with another award with two entries in the 9 Mobile Prize Most Innovative Reporter of the Year.
Innocent’s entries that dusted Gabriel Sunkanmi Olawale of Vanguard’s are: “Paedophiles on the prowl” and “We’ll rather perish in the desert”.
New Telegraph newspaper won 12 awards, The Punch won five awards, Nigerian Tribune won two awards, while Vanguard and BusinessDay won one award each.
Television Continental (TVC) beat rivals Channels Television to win the Television Station of the Year.
The Nation’s runners-up in 16 categories were: Taiwo Adelabu in the Power Reporter of the Year category won by Ugwuanyi.
Oyesina Fadare was first and second runner-up in the Bukola Saraki prize for Agriculture Reporter of the Year.
The category was won by New Telegraph’s Omoniyi Oluwatosin with an entry titled: “Women of calloused hands, financial power.”
Oladesu E Olaniran’s entry in the Olagunsoye Oyinlola Prize for Culture and Tradition Reporter of the Year, was beaten by New Telegraph’s “Tribal Marks: Our identity, our pride.”
Wale Ajetunmobi and Olatunji Ololade were neck and neck in the Gani Fawehinmi prize for Human Rights Reporter of the Year, a category won by Mojeed Alabi of New Telegraph.
His entry was “El-zakzaky: Hurting memories of a massacre.”
Ajetunmobi was also runner-up in the Foreign Reporter of the Year category won by New Telegraph’s Ogunbanke Temitope.
Ololade also gave the Defence Reporter of the Year a shot, but was runner-up to New Telegraph’s Juliana Francis whose entry ‘Why I stood naked at naval gate’ clinched the prize. Isioma Madike also of New Telegraph was second runner-up.
Okorie Uguru left Saturday Sun’s Musa Jubril in Second runner up place, but lost the Tourism Reporter of the Year Award to Nigerian Tribune’s Newton-Ray Ukwuoma.
Ukwuoma’s entry was ‘Badagry: Descendants of foremost slave merchant now lives in cells he built for slaves’.
Last year’s winner Abiodun Williams of The Nation lost his crown to The Punch’s Obasa Olatunji Dave in the News Photographer of the Year category.
Aside winning the Capital Market and Money Market Reporters of the Year Prizes, Nweze was also first runner up in both categories.
He was also runner-up in the Banking and Finance Reporter of the Year category.
Ugwuanyi’s entry in the Oil and Gas Reporter of the Year category was bested by Vanguard’s Emman Ovuakporie, while Innocent Duru was also runner up in the Most Innovative Reporter of the Year category that he won.
Dorcas Egede gave a tough fight but finished second in the Investigative Reporter of the Year category won by Punch’s Folarin Samson.
Star Judicial correspondent Joseph Chibueze was unlucky this time round, losing out in the Newspaper Reporter of The Year category to Telegraph’s Isioma Madike.
The Nation Editor, Gbenga Omotoso bested Vanguard’s Eze Anaba but lost the Editor of the Year prize to The Punch’s Martin Ayankola.
In the print category, New Telegraph newspaper won 12 awards, The Nation and The Punch tied at five awards, Nigerian Tribune won two awards, while Vanguard and BusinessDay, which was the only nominee in its category, won one award each.
In the Radio category, FRCN won Radio Reporter and Presenter of the Year. Ray Power won the Radio Broadcaster of the Year.
Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1 won Radio Programme of the Year, while Radio Nigeria won the Radio Station of the Year.
LTV 8 clinched the prize for Television Reporter of the Year.
Channels TV was named the TV Newscaster of the Year.
Television Drama of the Year prize went to Silverbird’s Liberty Villa, while TV Continental won TV Station of the Year.
