Again, The Guardian’s Muanya, Salau win at NMMA 2016

The Guardian Newspapers Limited has again emerged tops at the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) 2016 grand award presentation ceremony in Lagos.

The Guardian’s Assistant Editor heading the Insight Team, Science and Technology, Chukwuma Muanya, won the Coca-Cola Nigerian Prize for Brand & Marketing reporter of the year, while Correspondent, Gbenga Salau won the Cecil King Memorial Print Journalist of the Year with his entry: “Almajiri: The story of Nigeria’s street children up north.” Salau’s story was published on November 1, 2015.

Muanya emerged winner with his story captioned “Is Coca-Cola shifting blame for obesity away from bad diets?” and published on August 21, 2015. Muanya has won several NMMA Awards in the past including: Print Journalist of the Year 2014; Print Journalist of the Year 2012; Newspaper Reporter of the Year 2013; Newspaper Reporter of the Year 2008; and Agriculture Reporter of the Year 2009.

He has also won other awards including: Best Child Friendly Reporter of the Year 2008 from Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME); First Runner-up Health Reporter of the Year 2008 from DAME; Second runner-up Best Investigative Reporter from Wole Soyinka Awards for Investigative Reporting, December 2010.

Salau, in 2014, won the Promasidor Quill Award Best Report on Nutrition and DAME Business Reporting category.In the 2015 edition of the Promasidor Quill Award, his reports were also selected as the best in both Nutrition and Brand Advocate categories.

NMMA is considered one of the most reputable prizes for media excellence in Nigeria, instituted by some of the great veterans of the Nigerian press to encourage and reward distinction in the practice of journalism, while promoting a symbiotic relationship between the media industry and the society.

Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Africa foremost media excellence scheme, organisers of the NMMA, Mr. Vincent Maduka, in his speech said with about 40 award categories across Print, Radio and Television for NMMA 2016, members of the panel of assessors meticulously selected the nominees and eventual winners of this year after months of rigorous screening of works done in 2015 by the entrants.