Journalist sets record at NMMA, wins eight awards in one night

Award-winning Nigerian journalist, Godfrey George, has set a new record, emerging as the most awarded journalist at the 33rd edition of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA).

At the 2025 NMMA ceremony held on Saturday, December 13, at the Lagos Continental Hotel on Victoria Island, Lagos, George won eight awards from 16 nominations across 12 categories, the highest number ever recorded by a single journalist since inception of the NMMA.

The feat was said to have been achieved from a pool of more than 800 entries submitted by journalists nationwide.

The awards George won include Investigative Reporting, Features Writing, Culture and Tradition Reporting, Telecommunications, Real Estate and Construction, Money Market, Maritime and Energy.

He also finished as runner-up in four categories: Entertainment, Power, Defence and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The categories in which he was nominated include Telecommunications Reporter of the Year, Real Estate/Construction Reporter of the Year, Money Market Reporter of the Year, Investigative Reporter of the Year, Features Writer of the Year, Maritime Reporter of the Year, Energy Reporter of the Year, CSR Reporter of the Year, Defence Reporter of the Year, Culture and Tradition Reporter of the Year, Entertainment Reporter of the Year and Power Reporter of the Year.

By securing eight wins in a single night, George surpassed all previous individual records at the NMMA, earning recognition as the highest nominee and highest awardee in the awards’ history.

Reacting to the achievement, George described the moment as surreal, noting that the recognition was a testament to years of sustained hard work, persistence and faith in rigorous journalism.

The organisers of the Nigeria Media Merit Awards, regarded as Nigeria’s most respected journalism honours, assess entries based on depth, originality, public interest value, investigative rigour and storytelling excellence.

Winning across diverse categories is considered rare, making George’s performance exceptional within the Nigerian media landscape.

George, who recently concluded a five-year stint at PUNCH Nigeria Limited, dedicated the milestone to colleagues, mentors and supporters who believed in his work, describing the journey as one defined by sacrifice, long nights and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

With the historic sweep, Godfrey George now stands as Nigeria’s most awarded journalist in NMMA history, setting a benchmark that may endure for years to come.

The previous year, George won three NMMAs, after bagging 10 nominations across 8 categories. He was named finalist at the 2024 West African Media Excellence Awards (WAMECA) for his ground breaking investigations into child pornography in Nigeria.

George holds a degree in English from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and has pursued further studies in English Literature and certifications from institutions like Lagos Business School. He’s currently running a master’s program in English Literature and Communications Studies at a university in the United States.

Before his full-time journalism career, he worked as a lecturer and researcher at Peaceland College of Education, Enugu (Bonny Satellite Campus) and was Senior Director, Communications at Spring Foundation (Governance Arm) and Vice Principal (Academics) and Manager, Administration and Human Resources, Suonarossi International Schools, Rivers State.

He had ghost-written speeches and books for senior government officials and C-suite executives and worked on several public relations and communications campaigns in and outside Rivers State.

He is a 2024 Fellow for the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa, fellow of the African Centre for Development Journalism, Nestle Media Institute/Lagos Business School, Child Solidarity Group scholar, and a fellow for the Africa Diaspora Climate Migration Hub, amongst others.

He founded ‘PURPLE MELODY,’ a free monthly online writing class that has mentored Nigerian writers for over a decade, providing scholarships and educational materials to top students.

George’s awards cemented a historic win for PUNCH Newspapers which won 20 awards in all. In the 33-year history of the NMMA, no other newspaper has ever won 20 awards in a single ceremony.