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The former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for Media Empowerment by Nigeria’s national journalists’ union.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) presented the award during its 70th anniversary celebration on Saturday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, the country’s capital.
Senator Smart Adeyemi, a former NUJ president who represented Kogi West in Nigeria’s National Assembly, collected the award on behalf of the former governor.
The NUJ president, along with deputy Mrs Abimbola Oyetunde, signed Bello’s nomination letter explaining the reasons for the honour. They praised his “outstanding contributions to the welfare of journalists, especially in Kogi State” during his time as governor.
The union particularly highlighted Bello’s annual workshop programme for correspondents and editors, known as the GYB Annual Workshop. This yearly event trained around 200 media professionals from across Nigeria in developmental journalism and writing skills.
The workshops featured experienced media leaders and journalism professors who served as judges for essay competitions, with winners receiving cash prizes and other awards.
Whilst accepting the award through Senator Adeyemi, Bello praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic policies, claiming they were already showing positive results. He predicted that Kogi State would deliver 100% support for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election under the current Governor Usman Ododo’s leadership.
“There is no space for opposition in the state,” Bello stated through his representative.
The anniversary celebration attracted numerous dignitaries from across Nigeria’s political landscape. Information Minister Alhaji Mohammed Idris attended, representing President Tinubu, alongside former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba and presidential adviser Sunday Dare.
Several state governors also attended or sent representatives, including those from Kano, Gombe, Ondo, Oyo, Bauchi, Imo, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states.
The event combined the union’s milestone anniversary with a book presentation ceremony, marking seven decades since the NUJ’s establishment as Nigeria’s main organisation for media professionals.
Bello thanked the journalists’ union for the recognition and pledged to continue supporting journalists’ welfare in the future.
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