The 2026 Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards (NBMA), held on October 10 at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos, has come and gone. While many of the award recipients were deserving of the recognition they received, some of the choices have raised questions about the criteria used in selecting the winners.
One such choice is the emergence of Ojy Okpe of ARISE News as Best Newscaster (TV – Female). This is not a wholesale rejection of the awards or an attempt to discredit the organisers. Rather, it raises a question I believe is worth examining: Are the qualities that make someone an outstanding television presenter necessarily the same as those that make an outstanding newscaster?
Let me start by saying that I genuinely like Ojy Okpe. I enjoy watching her on ARISE News, and What’s Trending is one segment I hardly miss. She has built a distinctive identity around the programme, with a personality and presentation style that have earned her a loyal following. When someone else anchors the segment, I sometimes find myself struggling to resist the temptation to switch off. That says a lot about the connection she has established with her audience.
Having spent close to 40 years in broadcasting, comprising practice, management and training, I have come to appreciate that television presentation and newsreading, though related, are not quite the same craft. Each has its demands, and excellence in one does not automatically translate to excellence in the other.
Across News Central, TVC, Afia TV, Trust TV, ARISE News, and AIT, I have seen newscasters whose delivery deserves recognition. There are also young, highly competent newscasters on NTA today whose work should not be overlooked. They demonstrate composure, fluency, clear articulation and the ability to interpret and communicate the news with confidence and authority.
This is why I believe a category such as Best Newscaster should be judged primarily on the technical demands of newscasting, rather than on popularity, personality or success in other forms of television presentation.
The distinction I am making is not about personal preference or the superiority of one style over another. It is about recognising that different forms of broadcasting have different demands. The qualities that make a presenter engaging and successful in a particular format may not, on their own, be sufficient to determine excellence in formal newscasting. That is why I believe the criteria for an award in this category should reflect the specific demands of the craft.
This is not merely a matter of personal preference. Research on effective news presentation has examined the importance of clarity, vocal delivery, confidence and credibility, while Nigerian researchers have also studied articulation and speech delivery among television presenters. These are recognised professional considerations. It is therefore reasonable to ask whether they were adequately reflected in the criteria used by the NBMA.
I should add that Ojy has a very pleasing and distinctive voice for television. There is a slight shakiness to it that I have often noticed, and I sometimes wonder whether it is simply her natural voice or a style she has consciously cultivated. Whatever the case, she has made it work remarkably well on What’s Trending, to the point where her voice, personality and presentation style have become part of the programme’s identity. I would argue that she has helped make it one of the most compelling and arguably most-watched segments on The Morning Show.
She deserves her flowers for that achievement. But a vocal style that works beautifully for a personality-driven segment does not necessarily demonstrate the same strengths required for formal newsreading. That is the distinction I am trying to make.
So, what criteria informed the NBMA’s decision? How were the nominees assessed, and what weight was attached to technical competence in news delivery as distinct from audience appeal and general presentation skills? Were these different disciplines sufficiently distinguished in deciding who deserved to be called Best Newscaster?
These are genuine questions, not accusations against the organisers or a personal indictment of Ojy. I am not questioning her talent, her following or the brand she has built. I am simply asking whether the award adequately reflected the specific professional demands of the category.
Awards matter because they recognise achievement and help shape the standards an industry upholds. The criteria behind them should therefore be clear, credible and defensible.
I can admire Ojy Okpe, celebrate what she has built with What’s Trending, and still question whether Best Newscaster was the most appropriate recognition for her.
Liking a broadcaster, appreciating her brand and evaluating her technical competence are three different things. We should be able to make that distinction without animosity.
The real question is not whether Ojy Okpe is talented. She is. The question is: What, precisely, does the NBMA mean by “Best Newscaster”? Or have the organisers conflated the art of television presentation with the distinct professional demands of newscasting?