How Isa Gusau inspired Daily Trust’s integrity award

The outpouring of grief over the death of Isa Umar Gusau, our former colleague and the spokesman to the Borno State governor, was not a surprise to me. He was an exemplary young man.  I can’t say much because all his virtues have been touched on in the many tributes to him. But I’d like […]

The outpouring of grief over the death of Isa Umar Gusau, our former colleague and the spokesman to the Borno State governor, was not a surprise to me. He was an exemplary young man. 

I can’t say much because all his virtues have been touched on in the many tributes to him. But I’d like to say one thing: he was the first recipient of our annual Chairman’s Integrity Award. 

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In 2010, ahead of Daily Trust’s long service award ceremony, Isa Gusau turned down a N50,000 bribe given to him to “kill” a story. He went ahead and filed the report, which was eventually published. Our CEO felt that commendable act should be celebrated and rewarded. The integrity award was then included in our long-service awards ceremony. Isa Umar Gusau was the first to get it. In place of the N50,000 he turned down, he was rewarded with N250,000. 

The award has remained an annual prize in the Daily Trust. May Allah SWT grant Malam Isa Gusau a home in aljannah firdausi, amin.