By Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has increased the prize money for its three sponsored categories in the Bayelsa Media Awards (BMA) to ₦1,000,000 per winner, up from ₦150,000, and will also provide each recipient with a new laptop.
The announcement was made by NCDMB’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, at the agency’s headquarters in Yenagoa on Friday.
The enhanced categories include the NCDMB Prize for the Niger Delta Region’s Oil and Gas Print Reporter of the Year, Oil and Gas Broadcast Reporter of the Year, and Economy Reporter of the Year.
Dr. Ezeobi said the increase aligns with NCDMB’s mandate to build capacity and promote talent in sectors connected to the oil and gas industry. He credited the approval to the Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, noting the agency’s recognition of the media’s pivotal role in advancing local content initiatives.
“This upgrade positions the BMA as one of Nigeria’s most lucrative media awards,” Ezeobi said, adding that NCDMB has been ranked the top-performing federal agency for three consecutive years by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
He highlighted the agency’s 15-year commitment to the media through capacity-building programmes, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and advertising support, stressing its longstanding partnership with the BMA since 2015.
BMA Project Manager, Victor Binawari, described NCDMB’s increase as “astronomical” and a catalyst for greater journalistic excellence in the Niger Delta. With over 170 entries received for this year’s awards, he noted the growing trust in the BMA brand.
Binawari reaffirmed the awards’ mission to promote professionalism in line with NCDMB’s objectives and announced that voting and adjudication began on August 1 and will end on September 20. Winners will be honoured at a ceremony in Yenagoa on October 9.
