Yemisi Izuora
Two distinguished pension editors, Modestus Anaesoronye of BusinessDay Newspaper and Chuks Udo Okonta of Inspenonline, have won the 2026 Outstanding Pension Journalists Awards.
The 2026 Media Excellence Awards, the maiden edition was organised by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) to rewards journalists who were outstanding in reporting the activities in the pension sector of the nation’s economy.
While Mr. Chuks Udo Okonta won the online Category of the Award, Mr Modestus Anaesoronye emerged victorious in the Print Category while Ini John-Mekwa of Channels Television won the Broadcast Category even as each winner went home with N1million cash prize.
In the Online Category, there were three nominees; Mrs Nkechi Naeche-Esezobor of BusinessToday Ng, Mr Zaka Khaliq of BusinessDiary and the Chuks Udo Okonta, publisher of Inspenonline, who eventually won the award.
For Print category, Mr. Modestus Anaesoronye of BusinessDay emerged Winner, while Mrs Ebere Nwoji of ThisDay, and Mr. Victor Ahiuma-Young of Vanguard Newspaper were nominees.
In the Broadcast category, Mrs Ini John-Mekwa of Channels TV emerged winner, while Mrs Ebere Obike of Radio Nigeria, and Mr Kola Abel of EkoRadio Nigeria, and Mr Kola Abel of Eko FM, were nominated alongside the winner.
Presenting the awards during 2026 PenCom Media Conference to the winners in Ikeja, Lagos yesterday, the Director General of PenCom, Ms. Omolola Oloworaran commended them for their exceptional reporting and encouraged them to keep doing their best to enlighten and educate the public on pension while increasing awareness and penetration in the process.
“We acknowledge your good works and we want to appreciate you. We urge you to keep doing your best. PenCom and its activities need to be communicated to Nigerians in a very simple and understanding manner. So, I congratulate you all. Let all journalists be intentional in their works” she urged.
Beaming with excitement, the winners appreciated the regulator and colleagues for acknowledging, rewarding and supporting their works and pledged to do better.
The award will now be annual going forward as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the pension industry regulator.