The PUNCH newsroom came alive on Monday evening as senior editors and journalists celebrated the newspaper’s outstanding outings at the country’s two highest journalism awards, the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence and Nigeria Media Merit Awards.
The event was marked by glowing tributes, banter, warm applause, shared laughter, and a collective celebration of the newspaper’s decades-long tradition of journalistic excellence and public-interest journalism.
The event featured special recognition of the exceptional work of the award winners, their editors, and the enduring foundation laid by former PUNCHERS, all of which contributed to this year’s record-breaking performance, especially at the NMMA.
Editorial staff of PUNCH’s Abuja Bureau also joined the event virtually.
On December 13, Nigeria’s most widely read newspaper had reinforced its foremost standing in the nation’s media landscape, winning 20 awards at the NMMA—the highest by any newspaper in a ceremony in the 33-year history of the journalistic award.
PUNCH had 41 nominations and dominated across 27 categories at the colourful ceremony, held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, attended by many industry leaders and veterans.
Some of the newspaper’s wins included Newspaper of the Year, Editor of the Year, Editorial Writing of the Year, Energy Correspondent of the Year, Maritime Reporter of the Year, Money Market Reporter of the Year, Telecommunications Reporter of the Year, Aviation Reporter of the Year, Newspaper Features Reporter of the Year, Investigative Reporter of the Year, and Columnist of the Year.
The list of winners recognised and applauded included Editor, The PUNCH, Oyetunji Abioye; Chairman, Editorial Board, Mr Obafemi Obadare; and columnist, Abimbola Adelakun. Also celebrated were correspondents, including Geoffrey George, Segun Odunayo, Sodiq Ojuroungbe, Elliot Ovadje, Olaolu Afolabi, Naomi Chima, Olasukanmi Akinlotan, Chijioke Iremeka, Dare Olawin and Johnson Idowu, and Peter Akinbo.
The Monday convergence of PUNCH staff was also a celebration of a similar feat recorded at this year’s DAME, where The PUNCH won top honours, including Newspaper of the Year and Editor of the Year, for the second consecutive year.
At DAME, the newspaper dominated across multiple categories, including Editorial Writing, Health Reporting, Sports Reporting, News Photography, Informed Commentary, Lagos Reporting, and Judicial Reporting.
PUNCH had the highest number of nominations at 15, winning nine of them—the highest for this year.
Winners at DAME were Oyetunji Abioye, Obafemi Obadare, Godfrey George, Johnson Idowu, Sodiq Ojuroungbe, Peter Akinbo, Elliot Ovadje, and Abimbola Adelakun.
Speaking at Monday’s event, where journalists gathered around PUNCH newsroom’s iconic Oval Red Table, a visibly overjoyed Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Adeyeye Joseph, recalled with nostalgia that it had been 12 years since he last chaired an event at the table during his tenure as editor of The PUNCH.
Joseph described the newspaper’s successes in this year’s NMMA and DAME as a “historic milestone,” noting the wide margin with which it surpassed other competitors.
He recalled that years ago, a senior executive at one of the major newspapers that tied with PUNCH in a particular year had likened the shared honour to a football season in which they won the Premiership while PUNCH only took the FA Cup. To loud general laughter and boisterous applause, he said that this time, however, there was no such thing as joint-honours.
According to him, PUNCH won everything: the Charity Shield, the FA Cup, the Premiership, and even the Champions League.
Even as he saluted the resourcefulness and industry of the award-winning reporters, he, however, stressed that the milestone was not the effort of one individual but the collective work of all stakeholders who laid the newspaper’s solid foundation of excellent public-interest journalism.
At a point, Joseph specially recognised members of the team who had won awards previously.
Joseph said, “I am overwhelmed, overjoyed. This is a historic milestone. However, a tree does not make a forest. Whatever you accomplish today is not just a product of your own efforts; it is a product of the inspirational stories of other PUNCHERS. I always link our feats to the efforts of those who used to be in PUNCH and helped build the foundation over the past five decades. It is also a product of the efforts of our colleagues in other units who support us. So, our other colleagues – housekeepers, drivers, accountants, auditors, even the security personnel, are all contributors to the success story that PUNCH is and will continue to be.”
He conveyed the joy of the PUNCH board, led by PUNCH’s Chairman, Mrs Angela Emuwa, and the management, while promising that all award winners would be handsomely rewarded.
He, however, noted that PUNCH could not afford to rest on its laurels, as staying at the top is even more challenging.
Resolved to continue and surpass its winning streak, Joseph said the company would make the special funding of feature, investigative, and analytical reports less bureaucratic.
He, therefore, encouraged PUNCH journalists to do more longform public-interest journalism stories.
Speaking further, Joseph reiterated the company’s support for those who wanted to build their personal (professional) brands provided such activities would not conflict with their primary PUNCH responsibilities.
Joseph said, “We will also invest in helping you to develop your personal brand so that, at the end of the day, your investment, energy, and time do not only benefit the company but also benefit you.
“We have always encouraged our journalists to build their personal brands. Go out, speak at panels; however, let us know ahead. The idea of asking you to apply for permission is not to deny you opportunities or make it difficult for you to build your professional brands.
“The idea is for us to be part of your success stories and not to put your leaders in that awkward position where things are happening to you, and they are only getting to know through the Internet or social media.”
PUNCH Editor, Oyetunji Abioye, stressed the importance of determination in producing award-winning stories, challenging his colleagues who didn’t win this year to strive to win more laurels next year.
“If 12 journalists can win 18 awards, we can do more next year. Determination is key. Thanks to our strong support system, you can achieve anything in PUNCH. I urge all journalists across all titles to aim for awards; digital journalists should challenge themselves.
“I thank the MD for his leadership. His leadership style and the way he has groomed me over the years have helped immensely. That grooming has impacted our line editors and title editors. This leadership style is responsible for these awards.
He also acknowledged the efforts of the line editors in editing and perfecting stories.
On his part, the Weekend Editor, Mr Samson Folarin, said George’s award feat underscored the importance of consistency and hard work.
“Godfrey is hardworking. You don’t need to spend much time editing or rewriting his stories; he knows exactly what to put in a report. As a reporter with PUNCH, you must always give your best,” he said.
Folarin stated that this year’s feat is just the starting point, declaring that more awards would be won next year.
He urged journalists not to feel pressured by editors, noting the push is simply to inspire outstanding reporting.
Folarin said, “If you have a supervisor pushing you, don’t complain. If you don’t know why they are pushing you, ask. This year’s feat is just the starting point. There will be more next year.”
Speaking, Editorial Board Chairman, Mr. Obafemi Obadare, expressed joy at this year’s feats at NMMA and DAME.
“It is such a wonderful moment. One thing I know about the culture of PUNCH is excellence. Even those who have left the PUNCH draw on what they gained here. My family rejoiced when they heard about the accomplishments recorded,” Obadare said.
The Editor, PUNCH Digital, Olalekan Adetayo, The Editor, PUNCH Digital, Olalekan Adetayo, lauded the leadership style of PUNCH leaders, describing it as accessible and giving journalists and staff the wings to excel.
He appreciated the managing director for giving journalists and staff the wings to excel.
The Manager, Corporate Services, Mrs. Temitope Olusesan-Biala, also challenged journalists to keep raising the bar.
“Let’s put all our weight on this and dominate the awards more. Let’s do it again next year,” Olusesan-Biala said.
One of the award winners, Geoffrey George, whom the editor-in-chief particularly praised for his record-breaking win of eight awards at Saturday’s event, thanked PUNCH for allowing him to thrive and stressing the importance of hard work and focus.
He particularly praised the support of the Editor, Weekend Titles, Mr Samson Folarin, and Group News Editor, Dr. Ramon Oladimeji.
“I thank PUNCH for the opportunity to thrive. I made a post on social media that PUNCH took a chance on me. My first editor was Dr. Ramon Oladimeji. He planted the seed of excellence. I appreciate him especially, and the other line editors.
“With them, it has been from one big story to another. Those (award-winning) stories are the babies of Mr Samson Folarin. He encouraged me to go for them. When I shared ideas with him, he would say, go for it. Hard work really pays, although it can be tiring. Just focus on the goal.
“I admired the works of Tunde Ajaja, Afeez Hanafi, and Innocent Duru. I encourage everyone to know that this place is a solid platform to build your career. Just focus on your work,” George said.
In attendance were the General News Editor, Dr Oladimeji Ramon; Abuja Bureau Chief, Mr Adelani Adepegba; Business Editor, Mr Okechukwu Nnodim, and Sports Editor, Mr Ebenezer Bajela.
The Deputy Editor, Weekend Titles, Ms Tessy Igomu; the News and Politics Editor, Weekend Titles, Mr Ismaeel Uthman; Lifestyle Editor, Mr Tofarati Ige, and Interview Editor, Mr Chukwudi Akasike, joined virtually.
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