The Chairman of the Cross River State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Archibong Bassey, has lauded the publisher of Parallel News, Emmanuel Onwuka, for the feat of emerging winner recently of the ECOWAS Award for Media Excellence.
Onwuka clinched the first prize in the online journalism category.
Bassey made the commendation Monday, when she received Onwuka at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre, State Housing Estate, Calabar, the state capital, when the award was formally presented.
She described the victory as a “huge” achievement that has brought pride to journalists in the state.
“Thank you, Emmanuel, for making NUJ Cross River State Council proud. This is huge, and I want to encourage us to borrow a leaf from Emmanuel, take that step, take that risk. If it doesn’t work, at least you’ve tried, and it won’t hurt that you tried. You’ll never know what will come out of it,” She said.
The NUJ chairman, while congratulating the laureate, prayed for more opportunities for journalists in the state to attain higher heights and record more landmark achievements.
Onwuka, who is also a Mandela Washington Fellow, expressed gratitude to the NUJ Cross River Council for its guidance and support over the years.
He urged journalists in the state to seek out and apply for opportunities, stressing that Cross River has many untold stories waiting to be uncovered.
“I want to thank the NUJ for leading me. I encourage my colleagues to look for and seize opportunities because our state is rich with stories that the world needs to hear,” he said.
The ECOWAS Media Excellence Award recognises outstanding reporting that promotes regional integration, peace, and development within West Africa.
Anti-Corruption: Benue Partners ICPC Fight At Grassroots Level
By Armstrong Tseaa, Makurdi
The Special Adviser to the Executive Governor of Benue State on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs , Mr Denen Aondoakaa, has expressed commitment to the fight against corruption in Benue State by agreeing to partner with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Mr Aondoakaa made this disclosure Monday in Makurdi during a courtesy visit by the ICPC Benue Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Mr M.A. Wala.
Mr Aondoakaa stated that His Excellency Rev Fr Hyacinth Iormem Alia had mandated all government appointees and civil servants to be transparent and diligent in the application of public resources.
He noted that the Governor’s own example, is evident in ongoing infrastructure projects, prompt payment of salaries, pensions and other critical interventions which have made Benue State a hub of construction and development.
He expressed the Bureau’s readiness to collaborate with the ICPC as requested by the Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner in order to strengthen institutions at the local government level as a safeguard against corrupt practices.
He also emphasised the need for value re-orientation campaigns to discourage the public from exerting undue financial pressure on public officials which often fuels corruption.
Mr Aondoakaa thanked the ICPC for the visit and reaffirmed the Bureau’s readiness to support anti-corruption initiatives, particularly at the grassroots level.
Earlier, the ICPC Resident Commissioner for Benue State, Mr M.A. Wala explained that the visit was aimed at fostering partnership with the bureau to extend ICPC’s anti-corruption campaigns to the local governments and raise awareness at the grassroots against corrupt practices.
He revealed that the commission’s focus is not only on arrests, prosecution, and enforcement, but also on the prevention of corruption through system review and public enlightenment while stressing that arrests and prosecutions alone cannot stop corruption unless citizens are educated about it’s harmful impact on society.
The ICPC boss in Benue thanked the Bureau for the warm reception accorded him and his team and appreciated the Bureau for maintaining a cordial working relationship with the Makurdi office of the ICPC and sued for it’s sustainability.
In her vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary of the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister (Mrs) Debbie Amine, expressed profound gratitude to the ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Mr Wala, for prioritising the bureau as his first point of engagement and for initiating collaboration in the fight against corruption in Benue State.
She assured Mr Wala of the bureau’s unwavering commitment to sustaining the partnership, as endorsed by the Special Adviser, in the pursuit of a corruption-free Benue State.
The visit was further marked by a significant gesture—the presentation of educational materials on corruption to Mr Denen Aondoakaa by the Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Mr Wala.