By John Ikani
New winners have emerged in the three categories sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in the 2024 edition of the Bayelsa Media Awards (BMA) held on Thursday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The three winners of the NCDMB categories are Mr. Joseph Kunde of TV Continental who won NCDMB Prize for Niger Delta Region Oil & Gas Broadcast Reporter of the Year, Mr. Datonye Fred Alambo of Radio Nigeria, who won the NCDMB Prize for Niger Delta Region Economy Reporter of the year and Mr. Bassey Willie of the Daily Trust Newspaper who won the NCDMB Prize for Niger Delta Region Oil & Gas Print Reporter of the Year.
All the winners of the NCDMB categories received a new laptop each and a handsome cash prize.
The Bayelsa Media Awards has several other categories and is an annual event organised by Sqilful Konseptz, with the aim of promoting and rewarding excellence in the Media and Entertainment industries in Bayelsa State and encouraging healthy competition among media organizations and contributing to the socio-economic development of the Niger Delta region.
Speaking at the event, the General Manager, Corporate Communication and Zonal Coordination, NCDMB, Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile Esq, charged media practitioners to campaign against vandalism of oil infrastructures within the Niger Delta region. He further charged the media to practice development journalism and create a positive perception about the region.
Represented by the Supervisor Social Media, NCDMB, Mr. Ifeanyi Nwokemodo, the General Manager harped on the need for the media to engender harmonious relationships between operating companies and host communities.
On why the Board sponsors the awards, Kikile explained that the media is a key stakeholder in the operations in the oil and gas industry and the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICD) Act.
“We believe that sponsoring the categories in this media awards would help boost healthy competition among journalists within the Niger Delta region and catalyse improvements in the quality of media practice,” he said.
He noted that the Board commenced sponsoring the Awards since the fourth edition of the programme and that had contributed to the growth of the event.
