The Guardian’s Adepetun, Salau, Jeremiah shine at 29th NMMA

The Guardian Team: Assistant Business Editor, Geoff Iyatse (left); Editor, The Guardian, Alabi Williams; Business Correspondent, Kingsley Jeremiah; Assistant Business Editor (ICT), Adeyemi Adepetun; Sports Editor, Christian Opara and Deputy Editor (News), Gregory Austin Nwakunor at the 2020 Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA) in Lokoja, Kogi State…at the weekend.

The Guardian reporters, Adeyemi Adepetun, Gbenga Salau and Kingsley Jeremiah, have emerged winners at the 29th Nigerian Media Merit Award (NMMA), even as six others ended up as runners-up.

While Salau was declared winner of the Bukola Saraki Prize for Agriculture Reporter of the Year, Jeremiah emerged winner of the Conoil Prize for Energy Correspondent of the Year, as Adepetun was awarded the MTN Prize for Telecommunications Reporter of the Year.

The Sports Editor, Christian Okpara, was runner-up in the Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola Prize for Sports Reporter of the Year, as was The Guardian’s Ifeanyi Ibeh, while Deputy Editor, News, Gregory Nwakunor, emerged runner-up in the Olu Aboderin Prize for Entertainment Reporter of the Year and Olagunsoye Oyinlola Prize for Culture and Traditional Reporter of the Year.

Also at the ceremony, the newspaper’s Assistant Business Editor, Geoff Iyatse, was runner-up in the UBA Prize for Money Market Reporter of the Year. This is just as Flagship’s Sulaimon Salau was named runner-up in the Nigerian Ports Authority Prize for Maritime Reporter of the Year.

In the Dele Giwa Prize for Editor of the Year, the medium’s editor, Alabi Williams, clinched the runner-up spot.

Earlier, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, who hosted the event, noted that a free and vibrant press remained more powerful than the (three) arms of government.

He said his approach to leadership, especially safety and effective institutions was yielding results in investment flows.

Bello relished his efforts in the area of security, insisting that Kogi “is one of the safest states in the country.”

His words: “What I did more in Kogi is to ensure that the state continues to be safe and safer. In addition to that, we are having a one-stop-shop policy where you do not have to go through all the bureaucratic processes to be able to have your investments here.

“Kogi State is known to have arable lands and solid minerals and also tourist sites. We are seeking more investments in the areas of exploring our solid minerals, agriculture and tourism.”