In its culture of recognizing and rewarding excellence in the country’s broadcasting sector, the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) has awarded deserving individuals, brands, and orgainsation at the maiden edition of The Nigeria Broadcasting Awards (TNBA), held last night. The event which has been postponed twice before now, finally took place yesterday in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of BON, Mr. John Ugbe said the event provided the platform to highlight exceptional skills present in the country’s broadcasting sector.
The TNBA Steering Committee, headed by the President of the Silverbird Group, Mr. Guy Murray-Bruce, had earlier unveiled the nominees’ list for the inaugural edition of The Nigeria Broadcasting Awards (TNBA).
During the unveiling, Murray-Bruce called on members of the public to vote for their preferred nominees in the various award categories.
Murray-Bruce, who in a statement assured the public that the voting process would be credible, stressed that BON was committed to recognising and promoting excellence in the Nigerian broadcast industry.
He disclosed that three special non-voting award categories, namely Contribution to Broadcasting, Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting Award, and Posthumous Award, had been created to honour iconic broadcast professionals for their contributions to the development of the industry.
The glamorous event brought together many influential voices that captivated audiences with compelling stories through sights and sounds in the media.
Submitted entries went through rigorous vetting processes by a jury panel headed by the former Director-general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Emeka Mba.
In the end, ARISE News Channel emerged as the Best TV Station of the Year and was also awarded the Best TV Station (English Language), while its reporter, Ovieteme George, took home the award for Best Reporter on TV category.
The Deputy Managing Director, ARISE News, Mr. Emmanuel Efeni, who dedicated the award to the station’s viewers globally, noted that the award was a recognition of hard work, both for the chairman and the entire ARISE crew.
Efeni said, “It is an encouragement that we are doing well. We can only say thank you to all our viewers.”
Trust TV also won the Best Television Show (English Language).
In addition to honouring players in broadcasting, the awards also acknowledged the contributions of key individuals in the industry, such as the founder of Africa Independent Television, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, and Senator Mike Ajegbo, the founder of Minaj Broadcasting International (MBI).
Equally recognised for their support to the industry were MultiChoice Nigeria and Indomie, among others.
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement awards for their role in the promotion of the broadcast industry were Christopher Kolade, a veteran broadcaster, and one-time Director–General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation; Vincent Maduka, the first Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority, who campaigned for more categories to reward radio and TV programmes, as well as Mohammed Ibrahim, who is the first Nigerian to superintend the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).
The event also paid tribute to notable figures, who had made indelible contributions to the broadcast industry even after their passing. Among them were the late ace broadcaster Mike Enahoro, Dahiru Modibbo, and Kunle Olasepe, who was Africa’s first male face and voice on television.
TNBA’s success was fully attributed to the Chairman of BON, Mr. John Ugbe, and MultiChoice Nigeria, where he serves as the Chief Executive Officer. Ugbe’s visionary leadership in establishing the awards was widely applauded.
Hosted by prominent media personality, Frank Edoho, the night witnessed musical performances from music consultant, Ben Ogbeiwi as well as the Nigerian Idol alumnae, Akunna, among others.
Other winners of the night included Nigeria Info FM, which clinched the Best Radio of the Year, and Channels TV, which emerged winner in the Best Television Station – Original Production in Business/Drama/Sports (English Language) category.