By Emmanuell Chukwu
In the year 2020 the Imo media awards for journalists in the state debuted with winners emerging in various categories.
Historically, one can not remember any such state government organized media awards in the state since the creation of the state more than four decades ago.
I have also heard that the second edition has been conducted with higher rewards to keep the winners smiling and hopeful that a better state with shared hope, shared prosperity and shared brotherhood is possible!
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In other words, it has gone down in history that the Uzodinma administration is the first to introduce this important exercise.
In the light of this, it would seem foolhardy to sweep this initiative under the carpet as the radiant smiles on the faces of the beneficiaries demonstrated in earnest the far reaching implications of the awards.
Irrespective of any counter view of the opponents of the Uzodinma government, the Imo media awards is one of the novel introductions of the Shared Prosperity government that deserve commendation not only from the professional Journalists, but from the larger Imo community as it has impliedly broadened the shared prosperity ideological frontiers of the administration.
The shared prosperity ideology is a is a distinct ideological introduction to the art of governance in Imo’s political history. It is an ideology that buttresses the import of sharing the common wealth among the populace by any economically practicable means to give the citizens a sense of belonging and shared prosperity.
No previous administration thought along this line of a shared prosperity government in which the citizens directly or indirectly are partakers in enjoying the common cake within available means to give them a sense of belonging instead of economic alienation. Though it is yet in its embryonic state, it is a quasi egalitarian evolution capable of instilling hope in the citizens that a better tomorrow is possible within available resources in the spirit of economic justice. At least, this is my personal interpretation.
Journalists who have benefited from this novelty would have no cause to think that this government is unmindful of the right trajectory to engender excellence and spirit of healthy competition in media professionals in the state. In a seeming arid economic climate in which journalists are trapped in the state any winner of the awards would go home with a sense of relief, considering a hitherto climate of despondency that prevailed in the state when there was no such opening to media professionals.
Most especially, media professionals in private media organizations are in a better position to appreciate the level of economic aridity prevalent among them. Those who receive monthly salaries in the government owned media outfits will not be in any position close to appropriating the psycho economic torture professionals in the private media go through. It is really emasculating, better imagined than witnessed, yet some good breeds among this class have shown courage, class and integrity in the practice of the profession to guarantee the building of a great state.
In view of this, I salute the Uzodimma administration for this novel introduction within the media community and by extension the honourable Commissioner for Information, Chief Declan Emelumba deserves accolades for this record.
Mr Chukwu is a journalist and writes from Imo. He can be reached on 07039515521
