By Osa Mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor

Vanguard Newspapers’ Prisca Sam-Duru, last Friday won the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas, NLNG’s N5m Nigeria Prize @ 20 Media Award, tagged, “Celebrating The Voices of Impact: Nigeria Prizes @ 20”.

Prisca, a Senior Arts Correspondent, was selected as the best correspondent in reporting NLNG Prizes by Taiwo Obe, Kadaria Ahmed and Chido Nwakanma who worked with NLNG and their PR agency to gather clippings of the works of journalists for the Prize. Everything was done secretly. No call for entries was made, nor was it publicised.

Prisca and four other journalists who were recognised and celebrated — Mr Terh Agbedeh (the most consistent), Gabriel Akinadewo (the most versatile), Mrs Chidinma Agwu (the most punctual) and Mr Sopuruchi Onwuka (the most engaging) — were all invited to attend the event at Marriott Hotel Ikeja, Lagos, without disclosing to them the reason for the invitation.

Prisca was celebrated for writing the best stories on NLNG Prizes for Literature and Science in the last 20 years. In addition to the N5m, she also received a brand new laptop, a plaque and other prizes.

The event and the awards were given to marks 35 years of NLNG incorporation, 25 years of production and 20 years of the Nigeria Prizes for Literature and Science.

Andy Odeh, NLNG General Manager, External Relation and Sustainable Development, said the purpose of the award was to honour media professionals for telling the NLNG stories. Odeh advised journalists not to solely rely on press releases, but to do more of in-depth reporting and analysis of issues. He revealed that the NLNG Prize for Energy Reporting is underway.

In her keynote paper titled “Celebrating Voices of Impact: The NLNG Story”, former President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Funke Egbemode, traced the philosophy that guided NLNG’s establishment of the NLNG Prizes for Literature.

“NLNG’s decision to institutionalize a prize in literature about 20 years ago was a move to save Nigeria’s voice in the global stage,” Egbemode said.

“Yes, the country had produced the likes of Prof. Soyinka, the great Chinua Achebe, Niyi Osundare, Cyprian Ekwensi, Femi Osofisan, and the like; but the diminishing return was becoming evident at some point with a sharp dip in the quality of writings that was gracing the public sphere at a time in history. That quality has since improved, thanks to the impactful contribution of NLNG.”

Egbemode said the NLNG Literature Prize journey has not been a lone one, but a journey with other critical partners and contributors to the process that translates to social change and development which defines NLNG’s interventions in the society. “One of such partners has been the media,” she said.

“Today, we play glowing tributes to everyone who works to bring this impact to our country and the businesses that operate therein.

“We honour and celebrate journalists and media professionals who have walked this road of operational excellence with NLNG over the past 35 years and 20 years of institutionalizing the literature prize among other prizes,” Egbemode said, urging other corporate organisations to emulate NLNG in celebrating journalists.