Awards for health reporters unveiled

Yearly, Dr AbdulAziz Anako Fache (DAAF) Memorial Merit Awards for health reporters in the print and electronic media have been instituted in Abuja.

Entries for the two categories, with cash prize of N250,000 for each beneficiary, will open next March, while the ceremony holds in September.

According to a statement by Media Adviser, Onche Odeh, the Fache family instituted the yearly event to immortalise their son and seasoned medical practitioner, who died of cardiac arrest on September 22, 2022, at the age of 53.

Immediate elder brother of the deceased and retired Director, Public Affairs of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Abubakar Jimoh, announced the launch at a lecture and award ceremony, organised by the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ) to honour him after 30 years of meritorious service at the agency.

He said the yearly merit award was to promote hard work, dedication, diligence and excellence in health reporting across the federation.

He said: “Fache was a multi-talented scholar, seasoned medical doctor, lawyer and author of literary works. This award will help reduce pain, shock and irreparable loss of the rare gem. A concerned friend of the Fache family and former Executive Director of Aso Savings and Loans Limited, Hajiya Memunah Aliyu, has donated N500,000 to this cause, and the awards fund will continue to increase as more donors have made pledges.”

President of ANHEJ, Joseph Kadiri, lauded the initiative, urging other well-meaning Nigerians to emulate the gesture.