The Social Democratic Party (SDP), flag bearer in Delta State, Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi FNIM, OON says, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, CON, owner of THISDAY/Arise Media Group, is well-deserving of the award conferred on him at the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) held in Lagos.
Obaigbena, has made remarkable progress in the media industry with well-deserved midas touch, steady rise in both print and electronic media.
DAME honoured Obaigbena with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his foresight and insight in the media industry.
Reacting to the development, the former Minister of State for Education, Gbagi, urged other Nigerians in general to emulate Obaigbena’s virtues.
The former chairman, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, said he was happy that “a Nigerian National more importantly a Deltan has written his name in gold”.
“On behalf of my family, political party and associates, I, heartily congratulates Prince Obaigbena, on the well-deserved honour by no less a credible and formidable group,” he said in a statement by Kenneth Orusi, his Chief Press Secretary.
The biggest private investor in the State believes the recognition bestowed on the media guru, is towering and befitting for the patriot who has dedicated his life to good journalism at a tender age of 19, an age where many of his contemporaries were still thinking about what to do with their lives.
Obaigbena started as a satirist with the then Bendel State government-owned Observer, noting that his cartoon ‘Leke Leke’ was an instant hit with its teeming readers, and for his efforts he was able to buy a car which he cruised at the University of Benin where he was then a student of Creative Arts.
Obaigbena, a visionary, saw the local media space having played in it, albeit at a regional level while in the university.
“He saw himself as a global player and decided to take the bull by the horn and like the Biblical Abraham, went on a road less travelled.
“Gbagi is elated that a Deltan has written his name in gold in the national arena, and his deeds will resonate wherever and whenever there are discussions on media profession.
“I recommend the sterling virtues of Obaigbena to all media men/organizations, in particular, and Nigerians in general.
