Category: Art, Media & Entertainment

Good Nigerian art, media & entertainment. This includes Nigerian-inspired visuals, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), music, movies, culture, etc.

Winners of PwC Media Excellence Awards 2017

Winners have emerged in the second edition of the PwC Media Excellence Awards 2017 held at Oriental Hotels in Lagos on October 6, 2017.

Winners of the PwC Media Excellence Awards 2017

Isaac Anyaogu, BusinessDay’s energy correspondent emerge the first prize winner in the SMEs category with his entry titled: ‘Pennies for a piece of the sun’, a story that explored how smart companies are commoditising solar and aiding small business in a country where power supply is inadequate.

Isaac Anyaogu also won the second prize in the tax category for his story titled: ‘Can Nigeria plug tax leakages in the digital economy?’, which explored the need for the tax authorities to catch up as more transactions are moving online. His story on Apapa roads, a crying shame, which took a swipe at the lack of will to fix one of the most important roads in the country, won third prize in the Business & Economy category.

Collins Nweze from Nation newspaper won the first prize in the tax reporting category. He was awarded for his story: “Taxation: Endless games…endless controversies”, a special report on the government’s new push to get the citizenry to pay their taxes and resistance from the people over claims that the government misuses tax revenues meant for societal growth.

Victor Ekwealor of Techpointng won the first prize in the Business & Economy category with his story: “Can technology help dried fish nourish the Nigerian economy?”

Nkiru Nnorum from Vanguard newspaper claimed top prize in the Capital markets category with her story: “Furore over conversion of dollar debts into equity”.

According to Uyi Akpata, PwC Nigeria country senior partner on the PwC Media Excellence Awards 2017:

“Why a professional service firm organising a media award you may ask, our purpose is to build trust in the society and the media is a partner to help achieve this objective.

We hope the award will be a motivation for journalists to improve their report and take interest in business reporting which has the capacity to improve society.”

Taiwo Oyedele PwC partner and head of tax practice said the entries this year were three times the number received last year and the quality of the entries were remarkably better.

Oyedele said that overall, PwC Nigeria received 123 entries but some of them did not meet requirement and were eliminated. It was now down to 83 entries. Business and Economy category had 45 entries, Tax category 11 entries, SMEs 12 and Capital markets received the rest of the entries.

Anyaogu, who was a second runnerup in the Citi Journalistic Excellence Awards, held in June this year, continues a tradition of BusinessDay reporters winning laurels for excellent business journalism. Anthony Osaebrown, editor, Patrick Atuanya, Caleb Ojewale, Odinaka Anudu, Teliat Sule and Chuka Uroko have all won prestigious awards on the BusinessDay platform.

PwC, a network of firms in 157 countries and one of the world’s top 10 most powerful brands in the Brand Finance Index 2017, rewarded this year’s category winners with ₦500,000 each. Finalists got ₦50,000 consolation prize each.

Winners of Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award [2017]

The Nigerian Breweries Plc has rewarded some distinguished journalists at the 9th Edition of the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award entitled: Agriculture, Local Sourcing and Industrial Development.

The award, which is the 9th in the series, is aimed at promoting professionalism and objective reportage of events in the country. It is also meant to reward journalists who abide by the ethics of the journalism profession in their professional practice.

According to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Johan Doyar:
“It is our hope and expectations that the media will draw attention to the sections of the economy to agriculture; it is important to acknowledge the role of the media in national development. Nigeria is a land of talents and we believe in it passionately.”
Winners of the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award [2017]
  • The Nigerian Breweries Reporter of the Year cash prize of ₦2 Million, was given to Isioma Madike of The New Telegraph. Madike’s work, “Shonga Farms: The dream of Zimbabwean Whites’’, an investigative piece, earned him the award.
  • The 1st runner up, Mr. Arukaino Umukoro, of the Punch Newspapers went home with ₦1 million.
  • The 2nd runner up for the Nigerian Breweries reporter of the year, Mr. Caleb Ojewale of The Business Day was given ₦750,000.
  • In the Photo journalist category, the overall winner, Olatunji Obasa also of the the Punch Newspapers got ₦1 Million.
  • The 1st runner up, Jubril Sulaimon, of The New Telegraph got ₦750,000.
  • The 2nd runner up, Toluwani Eniola 0f the The Punch Newspapers, got ₦500,000.
  • The winner of the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Report of the Year, Mojeed Alabi, of The New Telegraph, received ₦1 million.

All the winners of the 2017 Nigeria Golden Pen Award in all categories got an iPad and a Plaque, each.

Femi Kuti Is Awarded Legend Meets Legend Award [2017]

Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known as Femi Kuti, has been  conferred the Legend Meets Legend award for his courage, consistency and authenticity by Legend Extra Stout.

On receiving the award, Femi Kuti stated:

“It’s always a great thing to win awards like this as they are just not for the music but for the choices I have made to make me the man I am today.
I believe everyone is capable of being a legend and I challenge us all to, in every step of our lives, make the right decision. You never know who you are inspiring to be better.”

Continue reading Femi Kuti Is Awarded Legend Meets Legend Award [2017]

Amina Yuguda Wins 2017 BBC World News Komla Dumor Award

Amina Yuguda, a Nigerian journalist has won the third BBC World News Komla Dumor Award [2017].

Amina Yuguda is a news presenter on local network Gotel Television, from north-eastern Nigeria where she has reported on high-profile news stories, including the Boko Haram insurgency.

She will commence a three-month placement at the BBC in London in September [2017].

The BBC World News Komla Dumor award was created to honour Komla Dumor, a presenter for BBC World News, who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014.

Ms Amina Yuguda said her win was a “huge honour”. According to her:

“I was overwhelmed with joy. Storytellers have always had an important role in Africa… this is what defines us. Today journalists are taking on that responsibility.

With little or no formal education, my countrymen can hold their own in a variety of topics, including the Trump presidency in America, North Korea’s defiance, Russia’s foreign relations under Putin, and more.”

She impressed the panel with her story-telling and her ability to convey complex ideas in a way that resonates with a wide audience.

BBC World Service Group Director Francesca Unsworth said Ms Yuguda was a worthy winner:

“To find someone who possesses many of Komla’s qualities is something for us to celebrate, and we are very excited about working with Amina.”

Previous winners of the Komla Dumor Award were Ugandan news anchor Nancy Kacungira and Nigerian business journalist Didi Akinyelure.

Mercy Abang Emerge 2017 Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fellow

Mercy Abang, a Nigerian journalist, and three others have emerged recipients of the 2017 Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fellowships.

Mercy Abang is a syndicated freelance journalist reporting on issues facing vulnerable populations and had covered communities under siege from the Boko Haram terrorists as well as maternal health, poverty and biodiversity.

The three other journalists are Zeinab Mohammed Salih of Sudan, Mir Wais Jalalzai of Afghanistan and Ray Mwareya of Zimbabwe.

Salih is a freelance journalist for websites, mainly The Niles bilingual website sponsored by Germany.

Jalalzai, a war correspondent for the Khabarial News in Kabul, has covered the most dangerous conflicts and devastating events in his country.

Mwareya is the news editor for Women Taboos Radio Africa covering Southern Africa and a correspondent for Rural Reporters Africa based in Nigeria.

Ms Evelyn Leopold, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists, praised the exceptionalism of the four fellows out of the thousands of applicants for the fellowship.

According to Ms. Leopold on the criteria for choosing a fellow:

“We are looking for journalists who write well, who show some creativity, who do not just re-write the government press release, who are not censored by their media and come from developing countries.

We try to rotate the countries, it’s very hard, we get like 7,210 applications – and so it’s a ‘crack game’ who to choose.

And this year, we have the three Africans, that’s unusual and we have an Asian.”

The Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, represented by the spokesman of the Mission, Akinremi Bolaji, said Nigeria was proud to be associated with Abang.

He said Abang’s emergence as one of the four recipients out of thousands of applicants was a positive achievement in addition to the many Nigerians who had distinguished themselves and had been recognised by the UN this year.

Mercy Abang said she was interested in sustainable development goals of ending poverty and hunger and improving health and education.

Hammarskjöld, the second UN Secretary-General, was killed in a plane crash while on a peace mission to the Congo in 1961.

The Fund was established as a not-for-profit organisation more than 50 years ago by journalists at the UN as a living memorial to the legacy of peace, progress and justice of Hammarskjöld,

The Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fund’s programme for journalists seeks to advance a fuller understanding of UN deliberations to alleviate human suffering and promote peace.

It is also to support and encourage the journalism profession and to inspire a strong and diverse community of journalists who would give voice to the challenges facing their countries.

Four journalists are selected each year and the award money varies, while the fellowship includes travel, accommodation and a per diem allowance.

The journalists, who are awarded fellowships, are given the opportunity to observe international diplomatic deliberations at the UN in order to gain a broader perspective and understanding of matters of global concern.

The 2017 Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fellows spend up to three months in New York reporting the UN General Assembly from September to December.

‘Blessing in Disguise’ Comic Set Launched by Marvel [2017]

USA comic book publisher, Marvel has launched the first superhero comic set titled ‘Blessing in Disguise’ geographically themed in Nigeria’s Lagos state and inspired by the adoption of the Chibok girls in 2014.

Blessing in Disguise features Ngozi, who is a superheroine fighting evil in Lagos state, Nigeria. This is the first story to be set in an African country by Marvel.

Created by science fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor, the story was published as part of Marvel’s Venomverse comic with Ngozi appearing alongside Black Panther and Spider Man villain Venom.

Ngozi is a character based on one of the Chibok girls and is expected to serve as a role model for girls, said the award-winning Nigeria-American writer Nnedi Okorafor. In the words of Nnedi Okorafor:

“I had asked the artist to make Ngozi in the likes of one of Chibok girls … I asked her to draw Ngozi in her likeness.

They were normal girls who suddenly had to deal with a huge change in their lives … and their story of perseverance is so powerful. Like many Nigerian girls, Ngozi comes in a small package but is strong-willed and determined.”

Nnedi Okorafor has created over 20 novels and short stories including award-winning Binti and her debut novel Zahrah The WIndseeker, which won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa award.

Okorafor said her dream is to see the Ngozi character create diversity in the world of superheroes which will inspire the creation of more African comic book characters.

Hakkunde Wins IndieFEST Film Award of Merit [2017]

Asurf Oluseyi has won a prestigious Award of Merit from the IndieFEST Film Awards for his debut feature film, Hakkunde.

Hakkunde is an intriguing story of a long-time unemployed graduate; Akande, faced with life’s pressures, he decides to relocate to Kaduna from Lagos when an opportunity presents itself.

His expectation is however cut short and Akande must make a decision to either learn to survive in a faraway land or return back to failure.

According to Asurf Oluseyi:

“I’m super excited about the news as this is the first award to the title, and connecting to juries out of Nigeria shows the power of story telling.

“The movie stemmed from my personal experiences and it is a universal entity that must be discussed and creating this movie is my own attempt to help solve this universal problem from my own understanding of it, and this award is a big motivation to do better next time.”

The movie features Frank Donga, Ali Nuhu, Maryam Booth, Ibrahim Daddy, Isa Bello Ja, Rahama Sadau and Hadiza Soja.

Shot in Kaduna and Lagos, Nigeria, Hakkunde is produced and directed by Oluseyi and was written by Oluseyi, Tomi Adesina and Gift Imafidon.

https://youtu.be/-GHpBQbpp1o