Inside the beauty and the gap of the Ray Ekpu Prize for Journalism, By Sam Akpe

When the Ray Ekpu Prize for Investigative Journalism was instituted in July 2021, I was one of the few people who doubted whether a clear winner would emerge at its first outing. I even suggested, silently, that the execution of the award should be delayed till 2022. I had my reasons.

I also thought of Udom Inoyo—the man who voluntarily instituted the award in honour of Uncle Ray. I recall what he told journalists on the day he unfolded the Prize in Uyo at the Press Centre: “…let me draw your attention to one more thing which you can do for yourselves, and by extension, society. It is called differentiation. Many self-styled journalists may be doing damage to this noble profession.

In my last analysis on this award, shortly after the panel of judges was announced, I suggested that it would be better not to have a winner than to have an unqualified winner. But then, after taking a look at those who formed the panel, I was relatively convinced that nothing would deliberately go wrong; and that professionalism would be allowed to overshadow every other consideration.

Other criteria are: contribution of the report to national unity and ethnic cohesion in the state; promotion of human and individual rights; its relevance to the fight against societal ills like rape and girl child abuse; efforts to check poverty and abuse of the environment; and attempts to check drug abuse, cultism and general insecurity.

“We are particularly grateful to the Inoyo Toro Foundation which instituted this award in honor of Mr. Ray Ekpu, our own poster boy in good journalism and the most decorated journalist from Akwa Ibom state. “Beginning from next year there will be consolation prizes for first and second runners up. We have equally secured commitment on this from a very reputable corporate house.

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