Rakiya A.Muhammad
DAME Trustee Mr Lanre Idowu says the key lesson from this year’s Diamond Award for Media Excellence is that good journalism has a great part to play in repositioning Nigeria.
He stated this during the 34th edition of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME), an event recognising outstanding achievements in journalism, held on Tuesday at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Rakiya A. Muhammad’s story for RM Times ‘Child Labour: Many Facets, Grim Realities’ won the Child-Friendly Reporting prize.
The CEO Diamond Publications Ltd pointed out that the nominated works show journalism’s power to spotlight critical national issues.
“In the works that are nominated for awards today, you can hear the voices from the media, very strident voices, they call attention to a lot that is happening,” he said
“In part, they make us think. In part, they make us cry, and in part they reassure us that all is not lost.”
He then shifted the focus to works that highlight the plight of children in the country.
“From the stolen childhood of children in conflict zones, to the scourge of child labour that turns children into family providers, from the disturbingly rising statistics of out-of-school children, to the unsightly conditions for learning in schools, in even supposedly urban centres, the lot of the Nigerian child is unsettling,” he remarked.
“From grim statistics about families trapped in multidimensional poverty, to the challenging reality of restricted access to quality health care and nutritious diet the plight of the child continues to feature as editorial content in our media.”
The Media Review Editor-In Chief also pointed to other issues in the winning works.
“From fascinating faith in the electoral process, which compels communities to go to great lengths to exercise their civic duty, to crushing images of poverty as dividends of democracy, the country is challenged to make a quality difference in the lives of the people,” he stated.
“As the problems are many, so are thoughts, reflections, and opportunities to make a qualitative difference in the energy sector, in public attitude to safety, hygiene, the environment, and how a change of orientation in values is needed for a much-needed national rebirth.”
He noted that some reports also show hope, highlighting heroic volunteers in crisis zones who struggle to make a difference by stressing that education counts.
The media guru underscored the tough role of journalists. They interpret social reality and serve as sentinels in the public space, which often brings risks.
While noting that many try to influence journalists to look away from important issues, he praised journalists and media houses who stay true to a free, strong, and responsible media.
He emphasised that journalists committed to ethical, responsible work play a vital role in safeguarding Nigeria’s future from harmful influences.
“Those who are committed to rendering good journalism that is ethical in orientation, conscientious in duty, are those who are best placed not only to keep good journalism alive but indeed protect the future of our country from the ravages of quislings who are ready to sell the land for a mess of pottage akin to how some of our ancestors sold us out to foreign interests,” he asserted.
“Office holders must be made accountable, through a fair and robust appraisal of the service rendered to the public.”
