A new award series devoted to promoting the growth of the online media in Nigeria has been instituted by one of the country’s leading online publishers.
Announcing the birth of the Nigerian Online Media Awards (NOMA), Isaac Umunna, Publisher of the online daily, News Express, said that the motive is to help fast-track the emergence of a truly professional online media industry in the country.
“Whereas the Nigerian online media industry has been growing exponentially, a lot is still left to be desired in the area of professionalism,” Umunna said in a statement in Lagos. “The time has come to institute an awards that would serve to recognise and celebrate outstanding work by Nigeria’s online media, thus motivating practitioners to work even harder to improve on their craft,” he added.
Umunna, who is an international award-winning journalist, explained that the institution of the awards “is in keeping with the emerging global trend of promoting online media practice and recognising the efforts of its stakeholders, as is presently being done in Britain, for instance.”
He disclosed that NOMA would be held annually with effect from next year and would also be used to recognise non-journalists whose work in one way or the other impact online journalism practice in Nigeria.
“As the first of its kind, NOMA would be a ground breaker and a reference point in the industry,” Umunna assured, adding that “details about the various categories, as well as the NOMA Board and Judging panel would be unfolded in due course.”
