Muhammad Sabiu, the Northern Bureau Chief (NBC) of the Nigerian Tribune, received the 2022 Best Journalist Award from an online publication called Authentic News Daily, based in Kaduna, on Saturday.
The online media has, as part of its social responsibility, been presenting awards for the past eight years to Nigerians who have excelled in various areas of human endeavor.
Earlier this year, Jacob Onjewu Dickson, the Publisher and Managing Editor of Authentic News Daily, announced the winner of the media category, stating that Tribune reporter Muhammad Sabiu had been selected as the Best Journalist for 2022 due to his prompt and objective reporting. He emphasized that at a time of fake news, Sabiu’s reports were characterized by their promptness and objectivity.
During the award presentation in Kaduna on Saturday, Sekyen Dadik, the Executive Director of the Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), congratulated the awardee and encouraged him not to relent but to redouble his efforts so that young and upcoming reporters could benefit from his wealth of experience and knowledge.
Upon receiving the award, Sabiu expressed his appreciation and noted that he cherished the award because he had not lobbied for it. He offered advice, saying, “Always put in your best in whatever you are doing because someone, somewhere is noticing you. I thank the management of Authentic News Daily for believing in me.”
He further revealed that he had discovered he had received the award by chance. He said, “In fact, even when I emerged the winner, the publisher did not inform me. Nobody informed me. How I got to know about the award was when I was lying on my bed browsing, and I came across a press statement announcing the list of winners. Those of us in Kaduna are familiar with the annual event. Behold, I saw my name. I looked at the list again and saw that it was me sharing the award with someone from the Blueprint Newspaper.”
Sabiu dedicated the award to the Nigerian Tribune, expressing his gratitude for the platform it had provided him to excel. He stated, “Tribune gave me the opportunity to express myself. Moreover, out of the three decades that I have spent as a reporter, I spent twenty-three of those years with Tribune. Therefore, I dedicate this award to this great institution (Tribune).”
. TheWitness
