THE Nation newspaper correspondent in Anambra State, Emma Elekwa, has won the 2024 edition of the Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna Award for Ethical Journalism.
Elekwa was declared the prize winner at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Council Press Week/Man of the Year Award.
The award followed his submission of his report titled, “Erratic power supply cripples poultry businesses in Anambra; farmers resort to lanterns and charcoal.”
The ICIR funded the report under its Strengthening Public Accountability For Results and Knowledge (SPARK 2) project which was supported by the International Budget Partnership (IBP)
Speaking before the award presentation, a member of the panel of judges, Jude Atupulazi, said the occasion was an opportunity to celebrate media practitioners who distinguished themselves, especially in the area of ethical journalism.
He announced the reporter with Ikenga online, Lawrence Nwimo, as runner-up, out of a total of ten entries.
He congratulated the awardees for their dedication and sacrifice and described the selection process as fair and transparent.
The Anambra State commissioner for information, Law Mefor, described NUJ as one of the reputable institutions in Nigeria. He pleaded with members to continue to partner with the government for a better society.
“NUJ is one of the reputable institutions in Nigeria, and I’m proud to be associated with it. I call on members to continue to partner with the government,” the commissioner stated.
The chairman of the occasion, Stella Okunna, a professor, commended NUJ leadership for the improved edition of the annual ceremony while appreciating the dignitaries that graced the occasion.
Okunna described journalism as the voice of the masses, emphasising that removing ethics from it would render the profession obsolete and have devastating consequences for society.
She urged journalists to embrace ethical journalism to advance the profession.
Responding, the award winner, Elekwa, expressed appreciation to God for the wisdom, zeal, and passion bestowed on him to carry out his duty.
He also appreciated his media outfit, The Nation Newspapers, and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) for providing the platform that made the award a reality.
“I must confess that the award came to me as a surprise. I reluctantly submitted the entry a day before the deadline and forgot about it until today that I was called up,” he said.
While dedicating the award to God and his colleagues in the pen profession, Elekwa said it would spur him to do more robust and impactful reports.
Speaking with The ICIR on Tuesday, December 17, Elekwa said the award was purely based on his competence.
According to him, the report that won him the award was an in-depth, investigative analysis addressing the peculiar challenges of rural women farmers.
“The story angle is barely virgin and underreported. The report is objective and near error-free. It goes further to demonstrate my competence, commitment, and passion for writing,” he stated.
He added that the award would motivate him to keep writing, especially towards exposing ills in the society.
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