WE MUST KEEP THE DREAM
Lanre Idowu
Patron and trustees of DAME
Sponsors of the DAME dream over the years
Our respected judges, who lend meaning to the annual exercise
Distinguished journalists, who believe in the dream, and subject their works to professional assessment
Our eminent guests, members of the civil society without whom the media will be irrelevant.
Moment of Silence
Before we go into the business of the day, let us rise up to observe a moment of silence in honour of some of our departed colleagues, friends, and associates. They include: Malam Ismaila Isa, Malam Wada Maida, Prof. Dayo Alao, Chief Gbolabo Ogunsanwo, Soni Ehi Asuelimen, Muyiwa Daniels, and Sam Isaiah-Nda. May their souls rest well.
On behalf of DAME, I welcome you to the 29th DAME presentation in an era of great concern in the land. Concern about our health, concern about our politics, concern about traffic, concern about security, concern about living, concern about our humanity.
These concerns are so grave that thinking about them alone can arrest one’s zeal for life; or indeed kill one’s dreams. In the preparations for today, these concerns featured prominently in our hearts. Do we really have to hold the 29th DAME? If it holds at all, must it be physical? Why not just announce the winners and decorate them next year alongside winners for the 30th edition, a landmark, and an occasion for an enlarged celebration?
These were some of the recommendations made to us. The more we thought of them, the more we asked: Who knows what will happen tomorrow that you begin to project for next year? Who thought of Covid-19 this time last year? Who anticipated the EndSARS protest? Who imagined the insecurity in the land will linger for so long?
One of the enduring lessons of Covid-19 is that try as much as we can in this journey of life, but there is a Great Architect of the Universe whose ways we cannot always foretell. The more, we thought of these questions, the more convinced we were that we must not become prisoners of fear; we must not abandon our dreams because of challenges. Rather, we must face these challenges with courage, wisdom, and restraint.
And so, we resolved to hold the 29th DAME in a managed setting, by following the advisories from the health experts, which entails pruning down the number for today, and taking all the precautions prescribed. It was also important to sustain the idea of giving the media one special day of acknowledging the important role they play in society as pathfinders of meaning, and guardians of public morality.
In the face of the increasing menace of fakery in news dissemination, in the face of the technological liberalisation of access, which enables everyone to be a reporter, editor, and publisher, it is critical to continue to stress the vital role that trained journalists play in serving their publics with news that you can trust. It is essential to separate the wheat from the chaff by honouring our committed and enterprising media professionals. By so doing, we are renewing faith in a better society, we are encouraging hope in a greater tomorrow, we are keeping alive the dream for a better practice, and we are sustaining the DAME dream because it brings joy, hope, fulfilment, and recognition.
Judges’ Report
The report of the DAME panel of judges indicates that much of what was reported in 2019 adequately addressed the Nigerian condition. Our journalists focused on issues of security, governance, and the search for social justice.
From the shortlisted entries, our journalists mainstreamed food security—the challenges of keeping farmers on the farm, how technology can leverage food security, and why the state needs to do more in encouraging better approaches to cultivating the land. The quest for justice rings loud in the call for shortened duration of court hearings, increased deployment of technology to fast-track the court process. There is palpable concern for waste in the use of state assets, the need to prepare better for retirement after service.
There is the usual interest in corruption—material corruption, corruption of values—which weakens the foundation for good governance and social harmony. The concern for better service delivery and respect for human dignity resonates in the stories on medical emergencies, better treatment of detained suspects in police or prison custody, and how child labour contributes to corporate profitability.
The plight of the Nigerian child remains concerning, but worsened in an environment of strife and insecurity. In the failure to connect good nutrition in infanthood with rounded development, many are sentenced to a future of stunted growth.
The search for meaning in our politics is reflected in the frustration with poor standards, slow pace in decision making, and the confounding decisions when they are eventually taken.
Why 13 awards
Overall, the judges are satisfied with the recommendations for thirteen prizes this year, down from the eighteen awarded last year. The point needs to be stressed that DAME would not award prizes whose credibility cannot be defended. We regret that no prizes are recommended for the broadcast sector either because we had issues with the quality or paucity of the entries. It is a subject we will be discussing in the New Year with stakeholders.
In closing, let us spare a thought for what we consider to be a growing impatience with criticism and the resort to wanting to wield the big stick against the media. The media may have its excesses, but it is not short of patriots who make regular positive interventions in the affairs of the country. The government will do well to see them as partners in progress and shun this practice of fishing for enemies where they do not exist. Propaganda is no replacement for governance, which the people are truly hungry for.
Distinguished guests, without further ado, let me wish you all—sponsors, judges, nominees, and friends, a warm welcome to the 29th edition of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence. Let me also wish you a merry Christmas and a more fulfilling 2021. As morning follows the night, let’s Keep our dreams alive for dreams give life meaning. Say to the person next to you: Keep your dream alive.
The Master of Ceremony, let the Presentation commence.
*Address of welcome at the 29th DAME Presentation held 12th December 2020 by Mr. Lanre Idowu, fnge, supervising trustee and CEO, Diamond Publications.