By Emeka Chiaghanam
At an anniversary marking 35 years of journalism in Anambra,
celebration went hand in hand with serious questions about truth, courage,
welfare and accountability, as the NUJ also honoured its 2026 Man of the Year.
There was applause, laughter, handshakes and the excitement that comes with an awards night. But beneath it all was a more serious conversation about journalism, its responsibilities and the people who practise it.
At the Annabel Event Centre on Thursday, September 10, 2026,
journalists, public officials, media stakeholders, academics, clergy, community
leaders and other guests gathered as the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Anambra
State Council, marked 35 years.
The anniversary was not simply about looking back. Its
theme, “NUJ Anambra, 35 Years On:
Reporting with Truth, Responsibility and Service,” opened the door to
questions about professional standards, public accountability, press freedom
and the welfare of journalists.
At the centre of the evening was the presentation of the 2026 NUJ Anambra Man of the Year Award to High
Chief Martin Nwabueze, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ozoma
Group of Companies, Lagos.
But as the speeches unfolded, it became clear that the
anniversary meant more than awards.
It became a night for the profession to ask itself some difficult questions.
When Celebration Gives Way to Reflection
Thirty-five years is a long time for any organisation. For
the Anambra council, it offered an opportunity to remember its beginnings,
acknowledge those who had helped build it and consider what the next chapter
should look like.
That sense of reflection ran through the evening.
The awards recognised 28 people for contributions to
journalism, public service, philanthropy and community development. But the
speeches gave the anniversary its deeper meaning.
The strongest challenge came from the keynote speaker, the
Anglican Bishop of Amichi Diocese, Rt. Rev. Ephraim Ikeakor.
Ikeakor: Truth Must Come Before Comfort
Ikeakor did not treat journalism as simply another
profession.
He described it as a calling that places a responsibility on
journalists to tell the truth, especially when the truth is uncomfortable,
unpopular or likely to bring pressure on the reporter.
For him, the journalist’s responsibility does not end with
putting information before readers or viewers.
Journalism must also help citizens understand what is
happening around them and question those who exercise public power.
He urged journalists to strengthen investigative reporting
and resist the pressure created by social media, where information can spread
quickly without proper verification or context.
‘Journalism Needs a Spine’
The Bishop’s message was simple: technical skills alone are
not enough.
A journalist may know how to write, interview, edit or
broadcast, but Ikeakor argued that those skills mean little if the reporter
lacks the courage to publish difficult truths.
He called for accuracy, evidence, investigation and
professional ethics, saying journalists must be prepared to withstand pressure,
intimidation and personal inconvenience when doing their work.
He also raised another difficult issue: money.
Ikeakor questioned the dependence of journalists and media
organisations on political or wealthy interests, warning that financial
dependence can make it harder for the press to scrutinise those providing the
money.
His wider message was that press freedom requires more than
constitutional protection. It also requires a media environment in which
journalists can work independently and responsibly.
From Truth to the Welfare of Those Who Report It
The conversation then moved naturally from the
responsibility of journalists to the condition of journalists themselves.
NUJ National President Comrade Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi
placed welfare firmly on the anniversary agenda.
He called for better working conditions, stronger welfare
arrangements and comprehensive health insurance for media practitioners,
alongside a dedicated salary structure for journalists.
His argument was straightforward.
It is difficult to expect journalists to perform under
constant pressure when many also face poor remuneration, difficult working
conditions and uncertainty about access to healthcare.
Abdullahi Pushes Health Insurance Agenda
Abdullahi urged the Anambra council to work with the Anambra
State Health Insurance Agency so journalists could access healthcare at
primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
He also referred to the NUJ Health Insurance Scheme and
encouraged state councils to participate, with the aim of improving healthcare
access for journalists and their families.
The welfare discussion found a response from the state
government.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo, represented by Commissioner for
Information and Value Reformation Dr Law Mefor, said the government would look
into the healthcare needs of journalists.
A ₦12,000
Question for Journalists
Mefor said the Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme was
available to residents at an annual cost of ₦12,000.
He added that the government would explore group enrolment
for journalists in collaboration with Odogwu and the NUJ council.
That brought the discussion down from the broad question of
journalists’ welfare to something very practical: how reporters and their
families can actually access healthcare when they need it.
But Soludo’s message was not limited to welfare.
He also returned the conversation to journalism’s
constitutional responsibility.
Soludo: Reporting Must Hold Power to Account
The governor said journalism had a specific place in
Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, with a responsibility to hold government
accountable.
He urged journalists to report government activities
responsibly and in a development-focused way, while recognising their wider
role in keeping citizens informed and supporting democratic life.
He also appealed for care in the language used in reporting.
Using the difference between saying people were killed and
saying they were massacred, he argued that journalists could report facts
truthfully while remaining conscious of how particular words might affect
public reaction and social stability.
It was another version of the same question raised by
Ikeakor earlier in the evening: where does truth meet responsibility?
Odogwu Looks Back, But Keeps His Eyes on the Future
For the council’s current chairman, Dr Odogwu Emeka Odogwu,
the anniversary was both a celebration and a chance to take stock.
He thanked participants and the NUJ’s national and zonal
structures for their support, while explaining that the 28 awardees had been
selected on the basis of what he described as verifiable selfless service.
But Odogwu also used the occasion to speak about the
everyday realities facing the council.
He appealed to people of means to support the union as it
worked to improve its secretariat and strengthen its activities.
Behind the Celebration, There Is Still Work to Do
The details were ordinary but revealing.
Odogwu said the secretariat, reportedly built
single-handedly for the union by philanthropist Chief Godwin Ezeemo, had a
leaking roof.
He also identified solar lighting, a mini-bar and
mini-kitchen among the immediate needs of the building.
There was another appeal.
Odogwu asked the non-journalist award recipients to justify
the recognition they had received by supporting the NUJ’s efforts to train and
retrain journalists as the profession continues to change.
Agusiobo Takes the Council Back to 1991
Then came a journey into the past.
Former council chairman and Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of
Editors, Comrade Victor Agusiobo, traced the history of the Anambra NUJ council
to the creation of Anambra State in 1991.
He recalled how journalists who moved into the new state
capital, Awka, recognised the need for a dedicated council to represent
practitioners and organise the profession.
An ad hoc committee headed by the late Mr Obi Meze was first
constituted before the emergence of the Osi Nweke-led executive, Agusiobo
recalled.
He later served as chairman from 1996 and was re-elected for
another term.
Three and a Half Decades of Changing Leadership
Agusiobo also remembered those who led the council after
him, including the late Nathaniel Anigbo, Chris Aghanya, the late Tochukwu
Udoji Omelu, Henry Nwasike and Sir Emmanuel Ifesinachi.
He also named Francis Ekpone among former chairmen before
identifying Odogwu as the incumbent.
His account gave the anniversary something that awards alone
could not provide: a sense of institutional memory.
Thirty-five years had not happened in a single evening.
They had been built through successive administrations,
changing political times, different generations of journalists and the everyday
work of keeping a professional body alive.
A Night for Those Who Served
The awards themselves reflected that wider story.
Among the journalists recognised was Victor Agusiobo, who
received the 2026 NUJ Anambra Long-Term Outstanding Professional Leadership
Service Award.
Dr Denis Ekemezie received the Long-Term Professional
Service Award, while Dr Ifeanyi Obiefuna, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief
of Angel Network News, received the Outstanding Media Support Award.
Comrade Uche Kalu, an accomplished journalist, media
administrator, communication strategist and community leader, received the
Long-Term Professional Service Award.
Sylvia Tochukwu-Ngige, experienced journalist, communication
strategist and public enlightenment professional, received the Professional
Excellence Award.
Chinyere-Fessy Okoye, broadcast journalist and Manager of
News and Current Affairs at NTA Channel 5, Awka, received the Outstanding
Professional Service Award.
Other journalists and professionals were also recognised for
their contributions across the industry.
Nwabueze Takes the Night’s Biggest Honour
For High Chief Martin Nwabueze, the evening ended with the
biggest individual recognition.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ozoma Group of
Companies was named 2026 NUJ Anambra
Man of the Year.
An entrepreneur, philanthropist and community development
advocate from Umudioka in Dunukofia Local Government Area, Nwabueze was among
28 people honoured during the ceremony.
His award gave the anniversary another dimension.
The NUJ was not only celebrating journalists. It was also
recognising people outside the newsroom whose work, service and community
activities had attracted the council’s attention.
Ofoegbu’s Recognition Brings Public Service Into Focus
Another major recognition went to Prof. Charles Ofoegbu,
Commissioner for Petroleum Resources and Fellow of the Geological Society of
London.
He also serves as Special Adviser on Mineral Resources and
Environmental Protection in Abia State.
Ofoegbu received the 2026 NUJ Anambra Man of the Year,
Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding Public Service Award, bringing a strong
public-service element into the evening.
Other awardees included Benjamin Emoka, founder and chairman
of Lilymo Humanitarian Foundation, who received the Humanitarian Service Award
for work covering education, child development, healthcare, welfare and youth
empowerment.
Ewa Ukpa Brings Women’s Voices Into the Room
The evening ended its awards segment with another reminder
of what journalism can do when it looks closely at issues that might otherwise
receive little attention.
Ukpa Ewa won the 2026
Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna Award for Ethical Journalism for her
investigative report on women’s exclusion from Igwe elections in Anambra State.
Her winning report, “The
Excluded Majority: How Women Are Shut Out of Igwe Elections in Anambra,”
took first position. Uche Ndeke of Radio Nigeria came second, while Chukwuebuka
Oguocha placed third.
The winning report received ₦300,000, from a stated total award
value of ₦500,000.
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