The Imo State Government has appointed prominent radio anchor Ukana Omon as Chairman of the 2023 Governor Hope Uzodinma Media Excellence Award Committee.
Omon, an associate member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, will lead the 9-member committee comprising veterans, directors of MDAs, chairmen of press associations, and newspaper publishers to select winners for the prestigious award which enters its third edition.
The committee was inaugurated Thursday in Owerri the state capital by the Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon. Declan Emelumba.
Emelumba reiterated Governor Uzodimma’s promise to sponsor this year’s winners on further training overseas in addition to the cash prize, and charged the committee to sustain the integrity of the award.
“For you to be chosen to judge your colleagues’ work, to determine whether that person is qualified to win this award, it’s ot a tea party, it’s a very serious confidence, a very serious trust,” said Emelumba.
In his acceptance speech, Chairman of the Governor Hope Uzodinma Media Excellence Award Committee, Ukana Omon, promised to build on the legacy of his predecessor Chief Fidel Onyeneke, to make the award “so great that it will become not only the most notable thing about the media in Imo, but a landmark in the industry in Nigeria.”
Other members of the committee include William Unadike (Secretary), Chris Dimgba, Ifeanyi Nwanguma, Chris Njoku, Chinwe Asogu, Violet Igwe, Gele Agbai, and Anthony Ozor.
The committee’s inauguration was witnessed by Special Advisers to the Governor including Fidel Onyeneke (Imo Orientation), Collins Ughalaa (Public Communications), Emma Dike (Local Broadcasting), and Austin Chilakpu (Labour Matters).