It was another celebration of conviviality last night as Media Trust hosted the eleventh edition of its Long Service and Merit Award ceremony with some of the awardees describing the media outfit as an embodiment of diversity.
Media Trust is a privately-owned Nigerian newspaper publishing company based in Abuja that publishes the Daily Trust titles, Aminiya and the Pan-African magazine, Kilimanjaro. It is one of the leading media companies in Nigeria.
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The award ceremony is in line with the policy of the company in recognising staff members who have worked continuously for the company for 10, 15 and 20 years by giving them long service award for their loyalty and commitment to the company.
This year’s edition of the Long Service and Merit Award which, for the first time, took place within the premises of the company’s corporate Head Office in Abuja was attended by members of staff from all parts of the country.
The event was also witnessed by members of the Board of Directors and other management staff of the company.
In view of the fact that the event could not hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a double celebration as recipients were combined for 2019 and 2020 editions.
In all, a total of 41 staff from various departments and offices of the company from across the country received award plaques, promotion letters as well as cash prices.
As with previous editions, yesterday’s edition presented a significant feature in the awards as recipients were drawn from all religious as well as geographical backgrounds in the country.
Diversity underscored
The Chairman, Board of Directors, Media Trust Limited, Mallam Kabiru Yusuf, who led the award presentation, underscored the diversity involved.
“The diversity we saw in the people we gave the award shows that this is a very diverse company; that we don’t employ based on sentiments, we employ based on merit,” he said.
According to him, “When we sack somebody, people start saying oh, this man is a Yoruba man, this guy is an Igbo man then these guys are sacking him. They don’t say so when we are employing them.
“This is a very diverse company. We employ people and we keep them because they deserve to be kept. We don’t do it because they are Hausa or Fulani; we don’t do it because of relationships,” he said.
Some of the award recipients who shared their experiences in the company over the years also hailed its policy of recognising merit.
Christiana T. Alabi, a native of Erin-Ile in Kwara State who was employed into Media Trust Ltd in 2010, expressed appreciation to the management and board of the company for providing an enabling environment for me to work.
Alabi, who bagged the ten years long service award, said: “I see the award as a wake up call to work harder. I started my journey in the company from Abuja to Kaduna and now in Lagos. From the array of recipients, it shows that Media Trust employs based on merit and embraces diversity.”
Another female recipient, Stella Iyaji, described the award as a good thing stressing that the ten years of her service with the company was enhanced by an enabling environment for her to learn and grow.
Iyaji, who is currently the Managing Editor of Daily Trust, said: “For me, the way I see Daily Trust is that all they want to see is what you have to offer. If you are ready to work you are prodded on and supported in whatever way they can.
“Sometimes if people from outside talk about Daily Trust, I wonder if it is the same Daily Trust I work in. In my years in this place, I haven’t seen them deny somebody a promotion because of where they come from. I am a testimony to that so sometimes I wonder when people express some kinds of perceptions about Daily Trust.”
While appreciating the management of Daily Trust for sustaining the long service awards, Iyaji said: “Thank you Daily Trust and continue to create that enabling environment that has kept us this long.”
Also speaking on the awards, John Chukwuemeka Azu (John Chuks Azu) who joined Media Trust in 2010, expressed satisfaction with the conducive working environment provided by the company.
“I was impressed that although I did not originally major in Mass Communication, Daily Trust identified my talent and passion and took me under its high sailing wings.
“Over the years, I have been immersed in the work backed by the confidence and support of the Board and management. I have had several professional training opportunities both within and outside the country and feel proud to be working with such a reputable media organisation,” Azu said.
