The Standard newspaper has presented its Lamin Dibba Reporter of the Month Award to chief reporter Omar Bah.
The D10,000 cash prize was donated by Mr Dibba, a former Gambian journalist now resident and working in the United States.
Mr Dibba, who for several years has sponsored prizes to motivate reporters at the paper presented the award to Mr Bah.
The Standard, The Gambia’s leading daily newspaper, in its citation for the award, singled out Mr Bah for his hard work and commitment.
“The award is in recognition of his stellar efforts that best exemplifies the cliché of a true journalist,” the newspaper noted.
Unveiling the award, the managing director of The Standard newspaper, Sheriff Bojang, commended Mr Dibba for sponsoring the award. He also commended the management and staff of the paper for their wonderful commitment.
Mr Bojang also thanked his former protégés like Sheriff Bojang Junior (now based in UK) and Omar Bah (now based in the US) for having donated air-conditioning and photographic equipment worth tens of thousands of dalasis to The Standard.
For his part, Lamin Dibba, said he felt obliged to sponsor the award given his experience with The Standard newspaper’s founder Sheriff Bojang. He said Mr Bojang opened all the avenues for him to be who he is today.
“So, whenever I come to The Gambia, I feel like doing something for The Standard. I don’t have money to give to Sheriff but I can do things like this to motivate the staff of the paper,” he said.
He urged the reporters to keep up the momentum and ensure they protect the respect The Standard has built for itself over the years.
Mr Dibba has given monthly and annual awards to reporters amounting to over D100,000 over the years.
