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| Manasseh Azure Awuni |
God fearing, dedication, hardworking, good morals, intelligent and benevolent is the real virtues of the man Manasseh Azure Awuni.
After promising himself, his readers, the country and the world at the 16th Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) awards, he is now the over-all winner of the 17th GJA awards held at the banquet hall of the state house, Accra.
From a humble beginning, the man from Albert Abongo’s Bongo never seem to get his readers wonderful and more refreshing stories each and every week thus, from his “savannah view” to “the letter to my future wife” and to radio commentary on Radio Ghana.
Born to a night watchman, Manasseh has never been ashamed of being proud of his dad because his father said to him that he will even go naked to give him and his siblings better education and thus now the night watchman can never be referred to his dad again. Even if he is being referred to as a night watchman, they will add whose child won the 2011 best Journalist award.
Started as a school play writer at “KRESEC” Manasseh further his tertially education at the premier Journalism School and later proceeded to the graduate school of the university of Ghana.
At Legon, people vilified him just because he did a story on the popular “unhygienic bush canteen” but with God being with him he didn't end there.
Also, some ministers and government officials usually call to speak ill of him when they realize that they are criticize in his story. This never made him relax but pushed further to this height.
Even whiles he was in school, several media houses wanted hire him for his services but he never followed the money involved until he completed his graduate education before working full time for the Finder Newspaper.
Like his advice to me when he visited me at my hostel whiles at Jayee University College, Manasseh Azure Awuni said “Money is not everything in life. As a Journalist let people know you by your works”. This advice has been my guiding principal and will forever remain grateful to him.
“Just at the start of your career, you have started winning awards; the Sky is not your limit you need to go beyond the sky”. This was indeed an inspirational quote from the MC, Vincent Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to Manasseh as he was called for his first award on the night.
Dressed in white signifying victory, Manasseh Azure Awuni was indeed victorious after topping the categories and receiving four awards it was not surprising that the over-all award was handed over to him.
He takes over from Kwaku Owusu Peprah who won similar award last year. Manasseh will for the first time travel to the UK to study at the Cardiff University. Hard work really pays.
I write this piece to say “Ayeekoo” to you and all Journalists who won an award on the night especially Kwaku Owusu Peprah. I'm still waiting for that promise you made to me when you won the most promising journalist of the year 2010.
Manasseh Azure Awuni “mawu ne yrawo. Gormedzedzea koe ya. Edzebe n adze le lilikpo wu”.
Ekow Aidoo
paanyan7@gmail.com
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