Anambra-based journalist, Comrade Ekpa Ewa Eke, on Thursday, September 10, 2026, emerged winner of the Professor Chinyere Stella Okunna Ethical Journalism Award.
Ekpa Ewa received the award at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council’s 35th Anniversary and 2026 Man of the Year Awards Press Week Grand Finale in Awka.
Speaking before presenting the award, the leader of the judging panel, Sir Chuka Nnabuife, said the winners distinguished themselves by paying attention to details that others ignored, while demonstrating bravery, clarity and confidence in their reports.
Sir. Nnabuife thanked the NUJ for giving the panel the opportunity to serve and expressed hope that next year’s edition would be even more impactful.
The first runner-up, Comrade Uche Ndeke, received N100,000 for his report on the flooding challenges confronting various communities in Anambra State.
The second runner-up, Comrade Chukwuebuka Chukwuma Oguocha, received N50,000 for his report titled, “Constraints in Nise Community of Awka South LGA, Anambra State.”
Speaking after receiving the award and a cash prize of N350,000, Ekpa Ewa described Prof. Okunna as a true beacon and role model in the journalism profession.
She said winning the award was a moment she would treasure forever.
“I honestly never saw this coming, but my heart is overflowing with gratitude. My investigative report, ‘The Excluded Majority: How Women Are Shut Out of Igwe Elections in Anambra,’ focusing on the Ndiowu Community Igweship election in Orumba North, brought this recognition.
But more importantly, it shed light on a crucial issue affecting our women.
“To my senior colleagues who inspire me in a male-dominated field, thank you.
“As the first female journalist in Anambra State to win this award, I will keep using my platform to be a voice for the marginalised, unrepresented and underreported.”
While congratulating the winners, Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna said she had increased the prize money to N500,000 to further encourage ethical journalism among journalists in Anambra State.
Prof. Okunna described journalists as the conscience of society and urged them, as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, to practise their profession with a strong sense of responsibility to the public.
