Twenty winners emerged in the 4th National Spokespersons Awards (NSAwards) ceremony, which was organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and its partner, Image Merchants Promotions, at the iconic International Conference Center in Abuja on March 27, 2024.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, the President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, said that “The National Spokespersons’ Awards recognise accomplishments, motivate others to strive for excellence, enhance visibility, and add legitimacy to the reputation of recipients by demonstrating superiority, expertise, and uniqueness. The awards also provide avenues for networking opportunities and business relationships, improve employees’ performance, and boost their morale.”
The Awards ceremony is a part of the inaugural National Spokespersons Summit with the theme Change Narratives, Change Society, which was held from March 26 and 27, 2024, at the same venue.
The winners of various categories of the awards included Hakama Sidi Ali (CBN), Distinguished Spokesperson in Financial Service Award; Olufemi Soyemi (NNPC PLC), Distinguished Spokesperson in the Oil and Gas Industry; Adewale Adebajo (British Council), Most Innovative Spokesperson in Diplomatic & Multinational Award; Jossy Nkwocha, Indorama Petrochemical), Distinguished Spokesperson in Environmental Sustainability; Charles Aniagwu (Delta State), Spokesperson in Public Sector Gold Award (State); Maryam Sanusi (FERMA), Spokesperson in Public Sector Gold Award (Federal); Festus Akande (Supreme Court), Outstanding Spokesperson Award in Judiciary; and Eseme Eyibo (Office of the Senate President) Outstanding Spokesperson Award in Legislature.
Others included Sanusi Bature (Kano State) who won the Outstanding Spokesperson Award in the Executive Arm; Reuben Muoka (NCC) won the Distinguished Spokesperson in Technology; Jonas Agwu (FRSC) won the Award for the Outstanding Security Spokesperson; Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau (Defence Headquarters) won the Award for Outstanding Military Spokesperson; Peter Afunanya (DSS) won the Award for the Distinguished Spokesperson in Crisis Management; Michael Adande (Shell Company) won the Award for the Distinguished Spokesperson in Corporate Communication; while Rafiu Ajakaye (Kwara State) won the Award for the Distinguished Spokesperson in Political Communication.
Furthermore, Stanley Olisa (Air Peace) won the Young Spokesperson of the Year Award; Abdullah Maiwada (Nigeria Customs Service) won the Best Spokesperson of the Year Award; and Abdulrahman Balogun (NIDCOM) won the Excellence in International Relations Award. The Nigeria Customs Service won the award for Excellence in Regulatory Compliance, while the Kwara State Governor smiled home with the Excellence in Corporate Governance Award in the corporate category.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, the Chairperson of the Jury, Prof. Mabel Evwierhoma, said most of the campaigns were campaigns executed in the last year. She pointed out that the assessment criteria adopted in selecting winners were based on communication objectives, clarity of strategy, theme and relevance, channel selection, creativity and innovation, storytelling and framing, engagement with the audience, use of new technology, effectiveness of communication, and professionalism.
The scholar said, “The Jury received the entries from the 151-page document on March 5, 2024, out of which three candidates were shortlisted in each category out of 224 nominees. Those who received at least 50% of the vote were chosen as nominees. Some of the entries demonstrated originality and solutions to contemporary challenges, while others provided evidence of the professionalism and effectiveness of their campaigns. The three finalists were asked to submit a two-minute video of their campaigns for ultimate selection in the Spokesperson of the Year category, which is the flagship award. Only two responded: Reuben Muoka and Abdullahi Maiwada.”
“After the first segment of the assessment, the Jury shortlisted the candidates according to the frequency of mentions in each category. The next step was electronic voting, which commenced on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. We congratulate the winners and affirm greater hope of future success for any candidacy that was not successful. There is always another chance for better results,” she concluded.
The Chairman of the Award Coordinating Committee, Segun Mcmedal, who is the immediate past Chairman of the Lagos NIPR, commended the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) for partnering with Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, and the Spokespersons’ Digest in hosting the 4th National Spokespersons’ Awards. He noted that the three previous editions were organised between 2021 and 2023 by Image Merchants Promotions.
