New Telegraph registered its name on the list of winners at the 32nd Nigerian Media Merit Awards (NMMA) in Lagos on Sunday.
With 11 nominations in 10 categories, the paper won four honours. Ladesope Ladelokun of the Sunday Telegraph won the Ernest Sisei Ikoli Prize for Newspaper Reporter of the Year, with Tunde Ajaja of The Punch and Gbenga Akinfenwa as runners-up.
Erstwhile New Telegraph Crime Editor Juliana Francis clinched the Etisalat Prize for Most Innovative Reporter of the Year, beating Ladesope Ladelokun of Sunday Telegraph and Victor Ayeni of The Punch.
Also, with her entry: “New Electioneering Cost Discourages Nigerian Women from Participation”, Francis went home with the Lateef Jakande Prize for Political Reporter of the Year, with Emmanuel Oladesu of The Nation and Godwin Ijediogor runners-up.
With two nominations in one category, Chukwuemeka Cornelius of New Telegraph won the Nnamdi Azikiwe Prize for Cartoonist of the Year.
The Nation’s Adetula Muyiwa was the only runner-up in the category. New Telegraph’s Business Editor, Sunday Ojeme, and Sunday Telegraph’s, Ladesope Ladelokun, were runners-up in the Human Rights Reporter of the Year Category.
An editor with Saturday Telegraph, Isioma Madike, was a runner-up in the Print Journalist of the Year category. He was also shortlisted for awards in the Entertainment Reporter of the Year and CSR Reporter of the Year categories.
Speaking, the NMMA Chairman, Dayo Duyile, called for more investments in the media industry. He insisted that standards have not fallen, but only investments that have stopped. Duyile said: “Some people say the standard has fallen but I refuse to agree with them.
“The standard has not fallen. What has fallen is the investment in the media. “If you look around there is no single magazine on the newsstands again. “Those magazines when you had the NewsWatch, Tell Magazine; all those brilliant newspapers, what has happened is not that the standard has fallen, perhaps the investment has stopped.”
President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, praised the organisers of the awards, which he described as “a foremost benchmark for excellence in the fourth realm estate”.
He added: “Nigerian journalists home and abroad, are known for distinguishing themselves in strata of the profession, winning prizes and global accolades. “At home, we must be definitely grateful to the courage and determination of the Nigerian media in birthing and defending our journey to democracy.”
