A new award scheme has birthed in Lagos, Nigeria and it’s designed to recognise outstanding television programmes as well as stars in front of camera and technical professionals behind the scenes.
A first of its kind in the Nigerian TV industry, The Tube Awards, which was unveiled on Sunday at Eko hotel in Lagos, will celebrate and reward artistic and technical skills, according to the organisers.
The unveiling ceremony was hosted by actor Segun Arinze and had in attendance several notable TV and Nollywood personalities.
Niran Adedokun, journalist, lawyer and PR consultant who conceived the idea of the awards, emphasised the influence of television broadcasting in shaping lifestyles and the need to celebrate TV’s finest contributors.
“We have got all that is needed to make television in Africa the best in the world, and that’s the mission to which we have committed ourselves. The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. As they say, we solicit that you join us on this journey to celebrate excellence in television in the African continent. Ultimately, what we watch on TV affects us,” he said in his welcome address.
“When television has transcended from that tube in a box which we return to every night into tablets and phones that we hold in our palm, we must then be concerned about the medium that it feeds us. If we are concerned about the content that we consume from television, we must also consider the people who produce that content for us,” he said.
The awards will accept and consider for honours works on cable, digital and terrestrial television in 27 distinct categories.
All entries are expected to have been conceptualised, developed, filmed and broadcast in Africa.
A body of jury made up of professionals that cut across different fields in TV production have been constituted to oversee the shortlisting of entries. They include the respected voice of the tube, Mrs Bimbo Oloyede.
The awards ceremony is scheduled to hold later in December this year.
