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.”