BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Former Director of Public Affairs, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Dr Abubakar Jimoh has announced the maiden Dr AbdulAziz Anako Fache (DAAF) Memorial Merit Awards for Heath Journalists.
The annual awards, expected to take off from March 2024, are for Best Health Journalists in Print and Electronic Media, while the ceremony will hold in September next year.
Entries for each category will attract a monetary benefit of N250,000 for each beneficiary in Abuja or Lagos, alongside a plaque and letter of commendation.
Jimoh disclosed this in Abuja over the weekend at an event organised by the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ) in honour of his 30 years meritorious service to the nation.
He said that the Fache family instituted the awards to immortalise late Dr AbdulAziz, a Medical Doctor who died of cardiac arrest on 22nd September, 2022 at the age of 53.
The former NAFDAC director, who is the elder brother of the deceased informed that the award was also designed to promote hardwork, dedication, diligence, and excellence in health reporting.
Describing late AbdulAziz as a multi talented scholar, seasoned medical doctor, lawyer and author of literary works, Jimoh was optimistic that the award would ease the pain and shock accompanied by the loss of the rare gem.
He informed that a friend of Fache family, Hajiya Memunah Aliyu, a former Executive Director of Aso Savings and Loans Limited, has donated N500,000 for the awards, adding that more donors have pledged to support the gesture.
President of ANHEJ, Mr Joseph Kadiri commended the Fache family for the thought-provoking initiative, just as he enjoined other Nigerians to emulate the gesture.
News Flash