The 2016 edition of the
prestigious journalists awards ‘Promasidor Quill Awards’ was characterized by anxiety, excitement and mixed feelings as
reporters from different newspapers trooped to Sheraton Hotels and Towers,
Ikeja, Lagos, venue of the event penultimate Friday.
Apart from the fact
that each nominee for the seven categories of the annual awards was full of
expectation that they could be the one that would be favoured, the news media
present at the occasion too were highly expectant that their reporters would do
them proud by winning prizes.
In turns, the crowd
started arriving into the warm red-carpet reception organized for them before
they were ushered into the lobby for cocktail drinks to prepare them for the awards
presentation ahead. Eventually, the cotton was raised and the ball was set
rolling. Sooner than later, the announcement of the lucky winners started and
the hall went alive to cheer the successful journalists to the podium to
receive their prizes.
The overall prize was
clinched by Ajibola Amzat, the Feature Editor of the Guardian Newspaper. Amzat
clinched the title from Taiwo Alimi, the Nation Newspaper correspondent who won
the trophy for the 2015 edition. Apart from the all-expense paid four-week multimedia journalism training course with Thomson Foundation in London,
United Kingdom, which Alimi would go for, he also went home with an high end iPad
and products of Promasidor for winning the award.
In addition to being
crowned the overall winner, Amzat also won the award for Best Report on
Children and Nutrition, totaling 2 awards he bagged at the 2016 event. The
entries submitted by Olatunji Ololade, the Nation Newspaper correspondent, I Do Not Want This Child; and by the Sunday
Telegraph correspondent, Isioma Madike, Hunger
and The Nigerian Child had to bow for Amzat’s better display of
professionalism.
Excited with the award,
Amzat said: ‘Journalism can only be real when it is pursued with excellence,
and it is that excellence that Promasidor is rewarding tonight. I therefore
thank the organizers of the prestigious Quill Awards and all other colleagues
who won in other categories.’ He stressed his passion for journalism which
according to him is ‘a call to serve’ and implored the other winners and all
journalists in Nigeria to always pursue excellence. He also acknowledged his
medium, The Guardian Newspapers for truly being a medium that reflects the
conscience of people, nurtured by truth.
Ololade’s entry for the
Best CSR and Industry Report Category: Sorrowful
Song from the Valley of Iva, was adjudged the most outstanding compared to
Folashade Adebayo’s Abandoned Projects
Force Nigerians to Drink Unsafe Water, published by The Punch and Seun Akioye’s
A Nation’s Endangered Treasure:800
Year-Old Nasarawa Salt Mine at Risk of Extinction (The Nation).
Commenting on the
awards, Olivier Thirty, Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, commended
all journalists who submitted entries for different categories of the awards. According
to him, if the intellectual exertion and the skill required in producing a good
report or story is put in perspective, there is no reward that can adequately
compensate the effort of journalists in educating the public. His words: “Based
on this realization of the important role of the media in our economy, the
management of Promasidor Nigeria in 2012 conceptualized Promasidor Quill Awards
with the ultimate goal of assessing, recognizing and rewarding excellence for
outstanding journalistic work.”
They added that a
week’s job placement with a prominent British national news organization awaits
Amzat before returning to Nigeria. His words: “Amzat will be provided a return-flight
ticket, accommodation in London, daily living allowance and tuition fees for
the training.”
Winners from all the
categories with the exception of the winner of the Best Photo Story of the
Year, were given iPads, while the winner of the Best Photo Story of Year was
given a high-end camera for his exceptional performance.
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