The Group General Manager of Liberty TV and FM Stations, Engr. Balarabe Bello, has accused the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, (BON) Awards judges of bias and faulted decision to announce BenueTV as the ‘Best Station News Indigenous Language’ at the maiden edition of its awards.
The awards, organised by BON, took place at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Radio and television stations, presenters, and reporters were celebrated for their remarkable works in the Nigerian broadcasting space.
However the management of Liberty has questioned the rational of the award to an unknown Benue TV in the northern region as the ‘Best Station of the Year Indigenous News’, accusing the BON Judges of not thoroughly doing enough research online on Benue State to award it this category.
Engr. Bello said it is clear bias and mischief against Indigenous Northern Hausa private TV stations, and therefore requested BON to review and access to the data used in arriving at its decisions, saying it is on record that Hausa, as an indigenous language has the dominant eyeballs in Northern Nigeria as well as West and Central Africa, and therefore, majority of the television-viewing audience are at loss on how BON, which is supposed to give its members fair chance, failed it at this point.
The full list of the awards are :
REPORTER OF THE YEAR (RADIO) -Adeniyi Bakare (FRCN)
REPORTER OF THE YEAR (TELEVISION) – Ovieteme George (Arise News)
PRESENTER OF THE YEAR (RADIO) – George Iniabasi (Comfort FM)
PRESENTER OF THE YEAR (TELEVISION) – Victory Wilson (Silverbird TV)
NEWSCASTER OF THE YEAR (RADIO) -Ahmad Kabo Idris (Freedom Radio 99.5FM Kano)
NEWSCASTER OF THE YEAR (TELEVISION) – Ruth Aguele (NTA)
BEST TELEVISION SHOW (ENGLISH) – Law and Order (Trust Television)
BEST RADIO SHOW (ENGLISH) -Tell Your Story With Quinesta (Hit 95.9 FM Calabar)
BEST TELEVISION SHOW (INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE) – Jankara Market (Silverbird TV)
BEST RADIO PRODUCTION IN DOCUMENTARY/FEATURE (ENGLISH
LANGUAGE) – Boat Mishap Report (Nigeria Info FM, Lagos)
BEST TELEVISION PRODUCTION IN
DOCUMENTARY/FEATURE (ENGLISH LANGUAGE) – Ogiame Atuwatse III – The Making of a King (NDNTV)
BEST TELEVISION PRODUCTION IN
DOCUMENTARY/FEATURE (INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE) – Pataki Kaadi Idibo (Lagos Television)
BEST TELEVISION STATION ORIGINAL PRODUCTION IN BUSINESS/DRAMA/ SPORTS (ENGLISH LANGUAGE) – Channels TV (Diaspora Network)
TELEVISION STATION OF THE YEAR – Arise TV
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR -Nigeria Info FM, Lagos
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS – Christopher Kolade, Vincent Maduka, Mohammed Ibrahim
POSTHUMOUS AWARDEES FOR CONTRIBUTION TO BROADCASTING – Kunle Olasope, Michael Enahoro, Dahiru Modibbo
CONTRIBUTION TO BROADCASTING AWARDEES – FRCN, NTA – Raymond Dokpesi, Mike Ajegbo.
