By Edith Igbokwe
In recognition of his selfless contributions to the media sector, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has awarded the former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy and the Publisher of ECHONEWS Newspaper, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan the Distinguished Media Ambassador.
The award presentation which took place on Monday at ECHONEWS Head Office in Ejigbo had in attendance the NUJ Chairman, Dr. Qasim Akinreti, the vice President of the Association of Practitioners of Community media, Dr. Adeleke Adeseri, other executive members of NUJ and APCOM.
While presenting the award, Akinreti said Bamigbetan’s efforts over the years towards media development have brought back the lost glory of the Union through his support and clear initiatives.
He also commended the awardee for his efforts towards reviving community journalism in Nigeria and for awakening the consciousness of community journalism in other practitioners of community media.
Also speaking, the Vice Chairman said the award is a well deserved one based on the contributions of the awardee to the media development especially when he was the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy.
Responding, Bamigbetan, who expressed his joy and appreciation over the award, said people are encouraged to do more when their good deeds are recognised and rewarded.
His words: “It is not only money that makes one happy, projects like this also bring happiness from inside as I feel today, thank God I’m part of the achievements.”
He recalled his professional efforts in media development right from his time at the Guardian Newspaper, during his tenure as the Lagos State Chief Press Secretary, as the Commissioner for Information and Strategy as well as the publisher of Echonews Community Newspaper, stating that he has never looked back since he started the weekly edition of the newspaper in the first week of December, 2019 with 5,000 copies distributed free weekly.
He noted that many people have benefited from the media either through employment opportunity, information dissemination, training and others.
