A reporter with Africa Independent Television, AIT, Pretty Ngozi Onyejiaku has emerged winner of the 2020 Open Forum On Agricultural Biotechnology, OFAB Media Awards under the Television Category and as the overall winner.
The awards, co-organised by the National Biotechnology Development Agency, NABDA and Agricultural Research Council, ARNC aims to encourage deserving journalists who have played a big role in reporting Agriculture and Science.
Speaking at the media awards night, OFAB Country Coordinator, Nigeria Chapter, Dr. Rose Maxwell Gidado, advised journalists to work together and discourage the menace of fake news.
Other key stakeholders present at the colourful event agreed that it is important to recognise the work of journalists who report Agriculture and science, as false information is on the increase to undermine the big role science plays in solving present-day challenges which includes the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and food insecurity among others.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, called on science journalists to focus on facts that promote the deployment of technology in agriculture, citing an example of how biotechnology tools, such as genetic engineering, were assisting many countries to address some of the challenges facing their agriculture.
The fourth edition of the OFAB Nigeria chapter’s annual media awards is dedicated to celebrating Nigerian journalists and their efforts in promoting science evidence-based reporting on agricultural biotechnology through responsible, professional, ethical and effective reporting.
Also Read: Nigeria must declare state of emergency to avert post-COVID-19 food crisis – OFAB
Other winners include: Vincent Ayaka Yusuf of Daily Trust; Rabi Hope Momoh of Radio Nigeria; who emerged first runner up while the second runner up went to Nkoli Omhoudu of Africa Independent Television; Chibuzor Kelechi of Daily Independent; Maureen Chioma Ekezie of FRCN in the Print and Online, Television and Radio Categories respectively, while Sylvester Thompson of NAN Abuja won the award for Best Coordinator.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
