The Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) yesterday rolled out the drums to celebrate four personalities from Akwa Ibom State namely, the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno, the former deputy governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, commissioner for information, Comrade Ini Ememobong and Comrade Comfort Umana of the Redemption Fm in Abak.
Weekend Pioneer went to the street of Akwa Ibom to sample people’s opinion on how they feel about the awards and whether the recipients truly deserve the honour by the NUJ.
Their verdicts are here presented in this vox pop.
Mr Samson, deputy director, Green Well Fertilizer
“Moses Ekpo from my view is a very straight forward man. He is a wonder personality whom I have known for close to 10 years now. He is a good man, a man of his words whose yes means yes and no mean no. Moses Ekpo does not speak from both sides of his mouth which is why I always say he is a man of integrity.
The Media Icon award by the NUJ is well deserved and I commend the NUJ for finding him worthy of that award.
The Moses Ekpo I know deserves the award 100 per cent.”
Elder Samuel Udowo
“I have known Moses Ekpo for more than 30 years. I knew him since the days of Cross River State to when Akwa Ibom State was eventually created. I was there when he was made the pioneer commissioner for information till when he eventually took up appointment as the director general of the Nigeria Copy Right Commission. I know him when he became the president of World Intellectual Property Organisation, an arm of the United Nations that regulates intellectual properties in the whole world. Infact, he occupied that seat for the entire Africa because that was a slot for African sub-region.
Incidentally, I happened to have worked with him during his days at the Nigerian Copy Right Commission. It is a very long relationship that we have had together and from experience of him, Moses Ekpo is a man of integrity, a man of his own words and a man who doesn’t compromise no matter what. His yes is his yes and his no is no. He doesn’t bend rules and that is why we are still together till date because I do not like people who say one thing only to turn around and do something else.
On the Media Icon award, I want to say that Moses Ekpo deserves the award. He deserves even more than that if there is anything more than that should be given to him.
For him to be selected for such award by his media constituency goes to prove that he has put in enormous contributions to the development of journalism both in Akwa Ibom and in Nigeria and that his contributions are not forgotten. I wish him many more years and many more awards.”
Sir Innocent Udo, retired banker
“I am 86 years old now and Moses Ekpo is about 82 or thereabout. We grew up in the same environment in Abak Town and we attended the same college, the Holy Family College, Oku Abak.
At a certain stage when playing games and so on were affecting me academically, I lived with him for about one year.
After that, we all left Akwa Ibom and went to Lagos. While there, writing and literary pursuit was his main hobby while I also went my own way.
But as faith would want it, we were also meeting and interacting with each other as we progressed in life. As for the award by the NUJ, I know that Moses Ekpo has gotten so many awards in his honour over the years but I personally feel that this latest award by the NUJ is a definitive summit of his self-actualization. What I mean by that is that this award by the NUJ is like the crowning of him for what he believed in, what he worked for and what he lived for.
So there is no other award that can best suit this purpose. The award is very befitting and Moses Ekpo deserves the honour. The Media Icon award by the NUJ is the summit of his achievement.
Moses Ekpo is what the media has made him. Apart from his family, the media community has greatly influenced him. He is very very strict and he is somebody who pays attention to details. He is one person I know that has total loyalty and commitment to constituted authority.
I personally will like to have him as a subordinate but I will run away if he was to be made my boss.
On the whole, Moses Ekpo is very loyal and very committed, and I don’t think he has many friends. He is one person who believes that you should develop yourself to be able to be useful in the society.
There was a time they were recruiting teachers in the state and in this my house, I had more application letters than the ministry of education that was doing the recruitment. All the people wanted was for me to give the application letters to him as they knew he was my friend.
But when I called him to come and pack the application letters, he was insisting that the people must first of all pass the recruitment exams that was set by the University of Uyo.
Now the philosophy behind this is that if you employ a goat to be a teacher, if he does not teach your children, he will certainly teach someone related to you. And in any case, we all will be the looser at the end because there is no way a goat can develop. There is no way a goat can become digital. So that is the Moses Ekpo that I know. He is a man of integrity.”
Amos Etuk
“First of all let me give God the glory that this is happening at this particular moment in our history that we have a governor from Akwa Ibom being honoured by the Nigeria Union of journalist as the Most Friendly Media Governor 2024. It shows the commitment the governor has given towards the enhancement of press freedom in Akwa Ibom. It also follows the template he has also led towards the confidence and partnership that we have had in the last 16 months.
We have a governor that has been inclusive in his governance and the first in the country to appoint 50 media aids. He has shown support to our welfare and human capacity development programmes and he has also given us two permanent secretaries so far in his administration. We have a governor that has given assurances towards the completion of our auditorium project.
To me this award is befitting on the governor and it is a welcome development. The media community in the state celebrates him for this honour. This is the first time Akwa Ibom will have the highest number of personalities being honoured in one fell swoop.
We have also our comrade, Moses Ekpo, the immediate-past deputy governor who also is being honoured. You know he was the pioneer information commissioner in the state. He is the longest serving deputy governor who has contributed immensely to the development of our profession and the country.
Also in the list is the commissioner for information, Comrade Ini Ememobong, who was honoured as the most supportive information commissioner. Under his leadership, a lot of transformation in information management has come to bear and we are excited to work with him.
Finally, we have our amazon that was one of the founding leaders of NUJ in the state and presently the first female private station owner, Comrade Comfort Umana, who was also honoured. She has been a director of information in the Ministry of Information and was also one of the founding members of the NLC in the state.
These are very rich profile of personalities that were honoured yesterday by the NUJ and it is a big one for the NUJ in Akwa Ibom State and we celebrate them.
Mrs Itawan James
“I know Moses Ekpo as much as a daughter knows her father. He has been like a father to me and was very close with my late father and my family.
Moses Ekpo is a very modest personality, a man with wisdom and enormous capacity. He is a man with integrity who has upheld that integrity till date. Whenever he is convinced about something, he is always firm and will not waiver.
The Moses Ekpo I know growing up does not compromise no matter what and he is a transparent individual who doesn’t play favouritism. This is the kind of person that Moses Ekpo is, a man with what I would call impeccable character.
On the award by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, I want to say that he is very much deserving. I see the award by the NUJ as a testament to who he is and his contributions to journalism and the country.
Moses Ekpo has been a national and international figure as far as journalism is concern. He has been with The Chronicle newspaper in Cross River State, was the pioneer information commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, was in the foreign service and so on. I see the award as an honour by the NUJ for his contributions to the journalism profession and Nigeria.
Robert Ekutmfon
I want to applaud the Nigeria Union of Journalist for the honour done the Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno yesterday in Lagos where he was celebrated as Nigerias Media Friendly Governor 2024.
This award by the man of the pen profession is in recognition of the governors friendly disposition towards journalist in general not forgetting the series welfare packages and human capacity development programmes which the Umo Eno led administration has initiated in the lives of journalism practitioners in Akwa Ibom
With this latest award, it is expected that the bond of partnership between the government in Akwa Ibom and journalists would be further strengthen for more development to thrive in the the state.
To whom much is given, much is also expected. It is hoped that this award will spur the governor to do more for the state and its people Congratulations Governor Umo Eno, the former deputy governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, the commissioner for Information Mr Ini Ememobong and Comrade Comfort Umana for making Akwa Ibom proud at yesterday’s NUJ event.
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