ANAYO ONUKWUGHA: BEST NEWS REPORTER OF THE YEAR, 2009

By OBIABIN ONUKWUGHA

On Friday, November 27, 2009, Anayo Samuel Onukwugha won the 2009 Best News Reporter (Newspaper) Award, organized by the Rivers State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

The Best News Reporter Award came less than three years after he won the Best Crime Correspondent of the Year, 2006, organized by the Correspondent's Chapel of the NUJ.

Born on July 28, 1978, Onukwugha had his primary education at Community School, Uru-Ogwa in Mbaitoli local government area of Imo State while his secondary education was at Amauzari Comprehensive Secondary School, Isiala-Mbano local government area of Imo State where he came out in flying colours in 1997.

He began his journalism carrier in 2002 as a Trainee Reporter at Today's Topnews Newspaper, a Port Harcourt-based weekly tabloid, after bagging a National Diploma (OND) in Mass Communication from the Institute of Journalism, Management and Continuing Education, Enugu.

With zeal to acquire more knowledge in journalism practice, the Uru-Ogwa, Imo State-born journalist went back to his alma-mater, though on a part-time basis and bagged a Higher National Diploma (HND) in 2004.

In March 2004, Onukwugha left Today's Topnews Newspaper after rising to the position of a Reporter and joined Newsday Newspaper, an Abuja-weekly tabloid as its Port Harcourt Bureau Chief and was with Newsday until November 2007 when he left to join the newly established National Outlook Newspaper, a Lagos-based weekly tabloid.

In 2008, Onukwugha bagged a Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Journalism from the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ), Abuja.

Often called the 'Pen Militant' by his professional colleagues, tOnukwugha has written over 100 insightful and thought provoking articles published both Nigerian newspapers and online media outfits.

Apart from being a member of the Sports Writers' Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Onukwugha has served in various committees and sub-committees in the Rivers State Council of the NUJ, few of which include Secretary, Cyber-Café Committee, Correspondents' Chapel; member, 2008 NUJ Media Games Committee; and member, Sports sub-committee, Correspondents' Chapel.

Outside the journalism profession, Onukwugha an active member of several socio-cultural organizations, such as the Uru Improvement Union (UIU), where he is an Assistant Secretary, the Uru Youth Movement (UYM), the Oganiru Age Grade, Uru-Ogwa, as well as the Okwaraebere Family Union (OFU) where he is the General Secretary.

He is happily married to Obiabin Alice Micah-Onukwugha, a Port Harcourt-based journalist and prolific writer.#

Development / Accra / Ghana / Africa / Modernghana.com