For their innumerable contributions to journalism, the founding Chairman of The Punch newspapers, late Chief Olubunmi Aboderin, and the publisher of The Vanguard newspapers, Chief Sam Amuka-Pemu were on Friday honoured at the prestigious RockCity Awards.
Apart from Aboderin and Amuka-Pemu, 13 others, also bagged awards for their contributions to the development of their professions, some of which were posthumous.
The Rockcity awards was instituted by the RockCity Foundation in conjunction with RockCity 101.9FM, the first independent radio station in Ogun State, owned by a cerebral journalist, Dr. Niran Malaolu.
The awards ceremony, which held in Abeokuta on Friday, was the second edition in the series of what the initiator called “the annual celebration of media icons.”
Those who also bagged the RockCity awards were veteran journalists: former Managing Director of the defunct, Triumph newspaper, Mr. Haroun Adamu; Mr. Muyiwa Adetiba; Chief Executive Officer, Channels Television, Mr. John Momoh; ace broadcasters, Frank Olize, Julie Coker, Sienne Allwell-Brown, Dr. Segun Aderiye, Hauwa Baba-Ahmed and advertising guru, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo.
On the posthumous category were former Editor of The Punch, Mr. Nurudeen Balogun (NAT Balogun); ace broadcasters, Peter Okodua, Yinka Craig and former Managing Director, Africa Independent Television, Ladi Lawal.
In his remarks, Malaolu said the RockCity Awards was instituted to celebrate media practitioners, most especially those who had made remarkable contributions to the development of the industry and the society as a whole.
He noted that the country had never lacked good media people but the snag was that they were neither celebrated by government nor by people in their profession.
He said, “The reason we are doing this is not far-fetched. In Nigeria, we have never lacked good media people but we have not learnt to celebrate them.
“In Nigeria, we celebrate those who despoil the nation. Those we are celebrating in the 2015 Rockcity Awards, which is the second edition, are icons of the media, in broadcast, print and advertising.”
Dignitaries in attendance included the Olubara of Ibara, Oba Jacob Omolade; Speaker Ogun State House of Assembly, Suraj Adekunbi; ace broadcaster, Ambrose Somide; representative of Governor Ibikunle Amosun, Mr. Bola Adeyemi; National President, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Mr. Waheed Odusile; and the General Manager, Vanguard newspapers, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye.
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