Nigeria ENDS Awards Winners 2013: ENDS Award for Media Activism goes to SaharaReporters

“SaharaReporters has stood out since 2006. The good governance media activism platform directed by Omoyele Sowore has been pivotal and quintessential in Nigeria’s battle against government wickedness without partiality from one regime to another. Against all odds and denying ethnic or tribal partiality or patronage, SaharaReporters continue to fight one fight —against administration tyranny”

Every Nigerian Do Something [ENDS.ng] is proud to present the award winners for the year 2013. These people or entities represent the many Nigerians who DID SOMETHING, our mantra. These individuals and entities stood out for patriotism, dignity, honesty, pride, revolutionary-spirit, moral superiority, bravery and the other better values of humanity.

We know that many more of us deserve this recognition. It is the good Lord that will abundantly appraise and reward you all for your efforts. The ENDS Awards does not represent reward or compensation, it merely selects a few and presents their examples for us to associate with and feel proud of.

Otherwise known as the Borno Vigilance Youth Group (BVYG), the youth of Nigeria’s North East this year have made the nation proud beyond measure. They have paid the ultimate sacrifice, many dying in their pursuit of Boko Haram terrorists and their sponsors. The drafting of Nigeria’s military to the region in May provided the opening for Muslim and Christian children and youth of all ages to stand-up to terror. With raids, stop-and-search campaigns, road blocks and coordinated intelligence operations, these youth have been able to secure Maiduguri and its environs. At last, this year, the annual Durbar (horse) festival was able to hold in Borno state thanks to these brave youth and the men and women of the Nigerian army. This award is well deserved. May God continue to strengthen and protect them. May our Youth all over the nation, down to the creeks of the Niger Delta and across the world, likewise stand up and fight theft, terror and tyranny.

This Award also recognizes the great sacrifice and commitment of the Nigerian army who are carrying out a monumental service for a Nation whose government gives little for true patriotism and rewards only death bringing moral bankruptcy. We share your concerns that as you make the ultimate sacrifice, till date, not a single political sponsor of Boko Haram has been arrested by the insensitive politicians in power. We the people pray for, appreciate and support you and your families. You are the last properly functioning vestiges of our nation.

Naij – A History of Nigeria; is a two and a half hour extraordinary piece of work that presents the story of Nigeria, pre-independence till current times, with chronological impartial, systematic delivery of the critical events in the nation’s history, narrated carefully and clearly by Jide Olanrewaju.

The ENDS 2013 award is granted to this documentary, which in comparison to other Nigerian film, movie and feature presentations, actually takes time, with hundreds of hours of work and research invested, to collect, compress, coalesce and process information, still and moving images and documents from Nigeria’s archives, for a perfect finish. Nigeria is a country that has a very unique and great history, laced with challenges and turbulence, and this story is of most importance in understanding the current political dynamics of not just Nigeria, Africa’s largest nation, but the entire black and world history. Jide presents this story in a way that is relevant and useful for Nigerians and foreigners who wish to appreciate the peculiarities, challenges, obstacles and prowesses in the building of a new nation. An unbiased approach, devoid of criticism, the movie enables the viewer appreciate the ambitious and intelligent nature of the players and spectators in Nigeria’s history, both local and foreign. Jide Olanrewaju DID SOMETHING.

In September this year, Mr. Afolabi Olawole (PDP) stood up and rejected a fake, rigged victory handed to him in Kwara councillorship elections conducted by KWASIEC. Announcing his decision at an APC’s media briefing, Mr. Afolabi said he rejected such malicious cheating out of his veneration of God.

As Punch reported, KWASIEC had announced that PDP won the ward. But Mr. Olawole revealed that APC polled 1,213 to defeat PDP which he said had 568.

Regardless of party or other affiliation, the ability and decision to stand for truth and justice as against the perpetuation of fake victories with the robbing of the rights and true choices of the people is an attribute that is highly admirable. Nigeria is proud to know of a man like Mr. Afolabi Olawole. Without reservations, he has earned the 2013 dignity Award. He DID SOMETHING!

The war against Boko Haram terror would never be where it is today had Sheikh Gumi not given his many public vocals sermons in which he unambiguously condemned Boko Haram for subverting the message of Islam.

Propagated by SaharaReporters in a magical powerful collaboration, Sheikh Gumi was uniquely successful in spreading the message he believed as did other local scholars (like Sheikh Albani Zaria, Sheik Nasir Mohammed Nasir Kano, the Emir of Fika and Sheik Abdullahi Pakistan, Sheikh Jingir), that Boko Haram was not representative of Islam, the north or any other logical ideals. In August of the year, there was an attempt on outspoken Sheikh Gumi’s life, but by divine intervention, it appears bees stung the bombers who accidentally blew themselves up on the cleric’s street.

The broadcast of Sheikh Gumi’s messages by SaharaReporters as well as the similar messages of other local scholars in the north and Muslim groups like Muslims Against Terror (MUSLIMAG) converted what was tending into a senseless full blown religious war into a defined battle by Nigerians of all creeds against the Boko Haram perverted terrorist miscreants. His messages worked not only against Boko Haram, but on the entire attitude of Nigerians, Muslims and Christians, northerners and southerners to provocation, senseless riots and religious intolerance.

Sheikh Gumi DID SOMETHING and totally deserves this Award.

In April this year, Dino Melaye reported that his car was shot at. Undeterred, Dino Melaye has been at the forefront in anti-corruption activism in Nigeria. He has staged protests against government brazen subversion of public funds and taken these up to foreign embassies, soliciting foreign help in combating the Nigerian predicament. In May this year, the Anti-corruption network took its protests to the US embassy, leading to its temporary shutdown, asking for visa bans on the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, and some of his notorious ministers, Diezani Madukwe of Petroleum, Minister Of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, and Minister of the Niger Delta, Peter Godsday Orubebe, among others.

More recently, Dino Melaye led a protest against the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah over the allegation that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, purchased two BMW bulletproof cars worth N255 million for her. He was arrested and detained by the government security services.

Dino Melaye has invested and risked his life in the obligatory war against epic corruption that has brought Nigerians to their knees as the oil blessed nation withers in shameful poverty. In 2013 Dino Melaye DID SOMETHING and he and the Anti-corruption network deserve this award and encouragement.

SaharaReporters has stood out since 2006. The good governance media activism platform directed by Omoyele Sowore has been pivotal and quintessential in Nigeria’s battle against government wickedness without partiality from one regime to another. Against all odds and denying ethnic or tribal partiality or patronage, SaharaReporters continue to fight one fight —against administration tyranny.

SaharaReporters continues to investigate and expose the most horrible diversions of national funds and practices of corruption, malgovernance, misappropriation and embezzlement within and outside Nigeria.

2013 was a year in which SaharaReporters sustained limitless attacks for its bravery and commitment to fight for the restoration of pride and progress to Nigeria. The media battled and survived dangerous cyber attacks and threats from different participants in Nigeria’s governing regime, all the way up to the President who threatened to sue SaharaReporters.

ODUAHGATE, the scandal involving the Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, who stands accused and recommended for dismissal over her misappropriation of N255 million used In connivance with Coscharis motors in the purchase of over-priced BMW bulletproof cars, was a hallmark of this media’s commitment and service in the protection of the rights of the common Nigerian.

With citizens’ support and the sacrifice and bravery of decent whistleblowers, SaharaReporters has continued to purify the nation of corruption. SaharaReporters DID SOMETHING and earned the ENDS 2013 anti-corruption activism media award.

Before a strong political block came together as the APC, there was Amaechi. Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi has broken every barrier that typically binds Nigerians. Deserting the ‘national cake’ distributing emperor, risking the venom of the serving president of the Nation, Rotimi Amaechi stood up against the president of Nigeria and contested, challenged and won the elections of the Nigerian Governors Forum. Against punishment and against all odds, Governor Amaechi cut across typical regional, ethnic and religious boundaries to take the fight to a president from his very own region who he was disappointed in and rejected.

Risking losing all, the young Rivers state governor has since stood against tyranny and been disheveled by ethnic and tribal blackmail.

In a true revolutionary spirit, Governor Amaechi has since then told Nigerians the truth and canvassed their spirit of revolution, to all, like him, standup for their interests, stand up for what they believe, oppose those who feed them peanuts, regardless of favor, risk or affiliation and ‘stone the thieves.’

Every Nigerian deserves an Award this year, because we have all done our parts in words, actions, prayers and compassionate restraint in the face of abject suffering, brazen corruption, hate, robbery and reckless governance.

The year 2013 was marked with extreme bigotry and ethnocentrism in various facets of the public interactive sphere, but as the year ended, the masses came together and the Cabal, for the first time in recent history took over the battle, fighting themselves and exposing their dirty linen.

ENDS Awards recognizes every Nigerian who worked in the interest of life in 2013. This movement, otherwise known as the March 18^th movement evolved after the deadly bombing of the bus stop at Sabo in Kano on March 18^th of 2013. We are apolitical. Our interests in Nigeria, united, regional or disintegrated is only as concerns the preservation of Life along with its sanctity. ENDS puts the life, safety and wellbeing of the Nigerian above anything else.

We advocate, support, sponsor and promote Every Nigerian who DOES SOMETHING in the interests of Peace, Progress and Safety and Sanctity of the Life of the Nigerian.

CONGRATULATIONS NIGERIA!

HAPPY 2014!