SATURDAY, March 30, 2013 has been set aside for the inauguration of the Hall of Fame for Broadcasting and Performing Arts. And to ensure successful outing, the organizing committee led by the frontline musician and copyright activist, Orits Papa Williki on December 27, 2012 in Lagos held a press briefing where the rationale behind the project was marshaled and names of some inductees unveiled.

An initiative of Matthews’ Academy for Broadcast Arts, other members of the committee include Patrick Doyle, Abu Yakub, Godwin Okoduwa, Wole Benson, Cecelia Omorogbe among others.

Speaking at the parley in his capacity as the deputy chairman of the panel, TV producer and foremost event manager, Doyle underscored the distinguishing features of Hall of Fame to awards presentation endeavour.

“Understandably, there has been greater appreciation of broadcasters and performing artistes in the recent past, principally because of the tremendous work they have been doing in projecting Nigeria’s image to the wider world.

“The institution of award ceremonies of various kinds has therefore become more frequent. All these awards have clearly defined criteria that determine who gets which award in the year in review.

“You may then ask why we are also joining the awards band wagon, and our answer will be ‘no! We are not joining the awards bandwagon’, but indeed, we are in the long term honouring individuals whose body of work as broadcasters and performers have impacted the Nigerian society in an enduring manner.”

He clarified further, “While awards are given annually and awardees may and invariably change from year to year, induction into the Hall of Fame of Broadcasting and the Performing Arts is an eternal tribute to the work and life of exemplary individuals.” This mission, he acknowledged, had become a challenge for the organizing committee “to be above board and credible at all times, a challenge we have embraced and believe that with your help as members of the fourth Estate of the Realm, we shall be able to live up to.”

And membership of the committee, for now, remains open, as a number of other respected industry insiders can be co-opted, from time to time, to partake in “the process of nominating persons and institutions into the Hall of Fame.”

But in the over eight decades of broadcasting in the country, Doyle insisted, “two eras stand out as significant and worthy of mention.”

He explained, “the era shortly after the establishment of the National Broadcasting Service that pioneered radio broadcasting in Nigeria in the early 60’s with the epochal and landmark achievement by the Chief Obafemi Awolowo administration of the Western Region’s introduction of Africa’s first television station, WNTV in 1959.

“The second landmark signpost for broadcasting was when General Ibrahim Babangida deregulated broadcasting and allowed for private participation in broadcasting in the early 90’s. We are all living witnesses to awe inspiring contributions of broadcasting to the development of Nigeria, just as we are witnesses to the great work of our young performing artistes, who have brought pride to us as a nation with their achievements around the world. All of these would not have been possible without the foundation laid by the pioneers of contemporary Nigerian performing arts.

“While we admit that the work of the committee is not yet completed, we however have no hesitation in announcing an initial list of inductees which is by no means exhaustive of inductees into the Hall of Fame for Broadcasting and the Performing Arts. The first two individuals are naturally the two persons who more or less gave birth to the two landmark signposts of broadcasting in Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and General Ibrahim Babangida, who, although are not broadcasters, their contribution to broadcasting automatically qualifies them for induction into the Hall of Fame.”

More names of inductees into the Hall of Fame, Doyle pledged, would be released at subsequent briefings before the inauguration on March 30.  “We respectfully solicit your support and assistance in giving our modest efforts at rewarding excellence and in the words of our National Anthem recognising and honouring the labours of our heroes past,” he said.

Adding further that, “just to titillate you, we shall be releasing the names of two equally great giants of the Performing Arts. The undisputed Father of the Nigerian Theatre and movie industry, who more or less pioneered contemporary theatre in Nigeria, Chief Hubert Ogunde and the late Great Ambrose Campbell, one of Nigeria’s earliest music recording artistes.”

During the question and answer session, Williki vouched for the independency of the organizing panel insisting that membership has no affiliation to the existing guilds and associations in both sectors for which the Hall of Fame is instituted. “But broad and relevant consultation shall be made before any decision connected to the project is made,” he assured.