Maitama Sule becomes 3rd recipient of NMMA leadership award

The Award, which is reserved for prominent national leaders, has been presented twice in 22 years to Dr Nnamdi Azikwe and Chief Anthony Enahoro. Our correspondent Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz, who was one of the runners-up at the NMMA Award, said apart from presentation of awards in 51 categories to journalists in the print and broadcast media, […]

The Award, which is reserved for prominent national leaders, has been presented twice in 22 years to Dr Nnamdi Azikwe and Chief Anthony Enahoro.

Our correspondent Ibrahim Abdul’Aziz, who was one of the runners-up at the NMMA Award, said apart from presentation of awards in 51 categories to journalists in the print and broadcast media, Lifetime Achievement Award for Media Excellence was given to Alhaji Maitama Sule, Sam Amuka and Ajibola Ogunshola for their distinctive roles and contributions to the media industry and Nigeria as a whole.

Sule, who spoke after he was conferred with the prestigious NMMA honorary award alongside Vanguard newspaper publisher, Sam Amuka-Pemu and former chairman of Punch newspaper, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, expressed optimism that Nigeria would remain united to take her proper place in the comity of nations.

While blaming Nigeria’s stagnated development on the absence of qualitative, committed and selfless leadership, he said the country would only surmount its present challenges when people resolved to place national interests above personal or selfish interests.

Speaking on the procedures adopted in selecting the finalists, the Acting Chairman of the NMMA Panel of Assessors, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, who noted that they received over 3000 entries, explained that the entries were assessed independently and collated by the sub-committees before it was recommended to the General Assembly of the Award Panel.