Sustaining the lead as the most influential newspaper in the country, LEADERSHIP Newspapers added another feather to its nest on Sunday when it clinched the Newspaper of the Year award at the 15th Nigeria Media Nite-out Award (NMNA) 2021.
The frontline national newspaper with its headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital, emerged winner of the prestigious media award, trouncing seven other nominees, including The Guardian, Daily Trust, Sun, The Nation, Independent, Nigerian Tribune and Vanguard newspapers.
In his acceptance speech, the general manager, LEADERSHIP Media Group, Southern Operations, Chima Akwaja, who represented the management of the media organisation said the honour was well deserved and a reflection of the improvement and giant strides of the management in positioning the company.
“On behalf of the management of the LEADERSHIP Media Group, we appreciate this award and honour given to us. LEADERSHIP is a company that has been around for 15 years. Thank you again for the award.”
It would be recalled that in 2018, LEADERSHIP also bagged the same Newspaper of the Year award by the NMNA,, founded by Sola Olugbemiro.
Other awardees among the 45 award categories include Lagos State governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu who got the award for Governor of the Year on Infrastructure; Zamfara State governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, who clinched the Media Friendly Governor of the Year award, and Kano State governor, Dr Abdullah Umar Ganduje, who won the Accomplished Governor of the Year award on Infrastructure and Human Capital Development.
Also, James Abiodun Faleke, a three-time member of Federal House of Representative,representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, got a Diamond Award of Excellence on his outstanding contribution to youth empowerment and community development.
This year’s edition of the award ceremony with the theme, “Fake News & Social Media: Ensuring Accuracy, Objectivity in News Reportage”, had different performances by the e-First Cultural Troupe, Afro pop singer, Joel and others.
Meanwhile, the special adviser on Public Enlightenment, Media and Communications, to Zamfara governor, Alhaji Zailani Bappa, disclosed at the media nite-out that the two-week ban on telecommunication systems in the state and other measures to curtail the clandestine activities of bandits was yielding the expected result, as bandits are now incapacitated.
On September 4, the federal government, in a renewed effort to fight banditry and other forms of insecurity in the state, shut down all telecommunication activities in Zamfara State.
Source: leadership