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PRESS STATEMENT BY THE CONVENER OF (JOGAMA-THE GREEN AWARDS) ANNOUNCING THE COMMENCEMENT OF ENTRIES FOR THE 16TH JOGAMA– THE GREEN AWARDS 2026

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Distinguished members of the press, respected fathers and mothers of faith, leaders of the creative industry, our esteemed partners and sponsors, gospel ministers, fellow creatives, ladies and gentlemen, I warmly welcome you to this important gathering.

Today marks another significant milestone in the history of the Joint Gospel Arts and Music Awards (JOGAMA). It is with profound gratitude to God that we officially announce the commencement of entries for the 16th edition of the JOGAMA–GREEN AWARDS, and unveil the official theme for this year’s awards.

For sixteen years, JOGAMA has remained committed to celebrating excellence in gospel music and the creative arts across the Middle belt region and Northern Nigeria as a whole. What began as a vision to recognize and encourage gospel creatives has grown into a movement that has discovered, celebrated, and inspired hundreds of artists, producers, filmmakers, dancers, comedians and other creative professionals whose gifts continue to impact lives for Christ.

JOGAMA has always stood for more than an award ceremony. We exist to build the gospel creative industry, preserve its values, promote excellence, encourage innovation, and ensure that those who faithfully use their talents for the Kingdom receive the honour they deserve.

This year, however, our gathering carries a deeper significance.

Across many parts of Northern Nigeria, Christian communities have endured enormous hardship. Many families have experienced violence, displacement, the destruction of churches and communities, and the painful loss of loved ones. Yet, in the midst of these challenges, one thing has remained constant: the Gospel has not been silenced.

Our churches continue to worship. Our choirs continue to sing. Our pastors continue to preach. Our filmmakers continue to tell stories of redemption. Our spoken word artists continue to proclaim hope. Our dancers continue to minister. Our creative community continues to lift the name of Jesus.

It is from this reality that the theme for the 2026 JOGAMA–GREEN AWARDS is born.

“A Sound That Cannot Be Silenced: 

Rooted in Faith, Rising in Influence.”

This is not merely a slogan. It is a declaration. It is a declaration that no amount of persecution can silence the message of Jesus Christ. It is a declaration that while circumstances may seek to discourage us, our faith remains firmly rooted in Christ. It is a declaration that the Gospel will continue to rise above fear, above hatred, above violence, and above every force that seeks to suppress it.

As gospel creatives, our assignment is greater than producing good music or beautiful performances. We are custodians of a message that transforms lives. Every song, every film, every dance, every design, every spoken word piece, and every creative expression should point people to Christ and strengthen His Church.

This year’s theme also challenges us to rise in influence, not for personal fame, but for Kingdom impact. The world needs authentic Christian voices now more than ever, voices that speak truth with love, excellence with humility, and creativity with purpose.

Today, I am pleased to officially declare entries open for the 16th JOGAMA–GREEN AWARDS.

Entry submissions will commence today Monday, 13thJuly 2026, and close on Sunday 9th August 2026.

We invite eligible gospel creatives from across Northern Nigeria to submit their works for consideration. We encourage every qualified artiste, producer, filmmaker, designer, dancer, comedian, spoken word minister, and creative professional to participate in what promises to be another memorable edition of JOGAMA.

As we prepare for this year’s celebration, I wish to announce that the 16th JOGAMA–GREEN AWARDS will be a two-day event. The first day, Thursday, 19th November 2026, will feature a Gospel Creative Industry Conference, with speakers from across the nation and beyond while the second day, Friday, 20th November 2026, will be dedicated to the Award Night. This structure is designed to deepen engagement within the gospel creative sector, provide learning and networking opportunities, and culminate in a glorious night of honour and celebration.

The categories for consideration in this year’s edition includes:

1. Song Of The Year

2. Artiste Of The Year

3. Male Artiste Of The Year

4. Female Artiste Of The Year

5. Group Of The Year

6. Dance Group of The Year

7. Video Of The Year

8. Video Director of The Year

9. Audio Producer of The Year

10. Indigenous Traditional Song of The Year (any song done with purely indigenous dialect or Hausa)

11. Indigenous Traditional Fusion Song of The Year (Any song done with a combination of dialect, hausa and English)

12. Afro Hip Hop Song of The Year (Rap song)

13. Short Film Of The Year

14. Collaboration Of The Year

15. Next Rated Artiste Of The Year

16. Album Of The Year

17. Graphics Designer of The Year

18. New Artiste of The Year

19. Gospel Comedian of The Year

20. Spoken Word Artiste of The Year

21. Middle Belt Artiste of The Year

22. North West Artiste of the Year

23. North East Artiste of The Year

CRITERIA

i. Content must be gospel

ii. Content must have been released between January, 2025 and June 2026

iii. Content must be accompanied with duplicatecopies of recent photograph(s)

iv. Content must be on a streaming platform 

v. Content art must be submitted alongside entry.

vi. Content creator must reside Northern Nigeriaincluding the FCT.

HOW TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY:

All entries are to be send to our email address jogamagreen@gmail.com with the following detailsor follow the link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSex5Lq_vzlnUCqtS1wMAi9gSk58qRla5gsgUIqeK_USp-jo4g/viewform

1. Content creator full name

2. Stage name (where applicable)

3. Content title 

4. Valid WhatsApp number 

In view of the scale and importance of this year’s event, we are making a sincere appeal to individuals, government, corporate organizations, ministries, agencies, churches, and well-meaning partners to come on board and sponsor this year’s edition of JOGAMA. Your support will go a long way in helping us deliver a successful conference and award night, and in strengthening the gospel creative industry for greater impact. We believe that together, we can raise a platform that will continue to inspire excellence, nurture talent, and advance the Gospel through creativity.

I also wish to sincerely appreciate our Chairman Boardof Trustees our Father Dr. Panam Percy Paul and the , The Chairman of the Central Planning Committee Dr. Jim Pam Wayas, partners, media organizations, volunteers, and every individual who has believed in this vision over the past sixteen years. Your unwavering support has made JOGAMA one of the most respected gospel creative platforms in our region.

To the media, we thank you for consistently amplifying our vision. We count on your continued partnership as we spread this message and encourage participation from every corner of Northern Nigeria and beyond.

Before I conclude, permit me to leave a word of encouragement to every gospel creative and every believer.

Never underestimate the power of your gift. Every song you write, every film you produce, every dance you choreograph, every spoken word you deliver, and every creative expression you offer in service to God has the potential to transform lives and draw people closer to Christ.

The challenges confronting the Church today should never silence our voices; rather, they should deepen our conviction and strengthen our resolve to proclaim the Gospel with greater boldness. The history of the Church has consistently shown that the Gospel advances even in the face of opposition because its foundation is Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

And our Lord Jesus Christ declared in Matthew 16:18: “…I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

These promises assure us that persecution cannot silence the Church, and opposition cannot stop the Gospel. Therefore, let us remain rooted in faith, unwavering in our conviction, and committed to using our gifts to proclaim Christ with excellence and integrity.

To every gospel creative, keep singing. Keep writing. Keep preaching. Keep producing. Keep creating. Keep shining the light of Christ. The world needs your voice, and this generation needs your witness.

As we begin this journey towards the 16th JOGAMA–GREEN AWARDS, let us continue to raise “A Sound That Cannot Be Silenced: Rooted in Faith, Rising in Influence.”

Thank you, 

God bless you,

God bless Plateau State

God bless Northern Nigeria

And God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

JOGAMA–GREEN AWARDS, appreciating talents, glorifying the Master!

Further details and enquires, visit our website onwww.joagama.com.ng and follow us on all social media platforms @jogamagreen or call 08034295946

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2027: I’ll scrap Office of First Lady as Nigeria’s president – Sowore

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The African Action Congress, AAC, presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore has vowed to scrap the office of the First Lady if he becomes president in 2027.

Sowore explained that the Nigerian constitution does not give room for the office of the First Lady.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Tonight on Thursday, Sowore said being elected president wouldn’t change his marriage, but his wife would not take on an official role as First Lady.

He said: “The Nigerian Constitution does not include a position called First Lady. Becoming president won’t end my marriage, but I won’t take on the role of First Lady.”

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He said women would still have a say in his government, but argued  that keeping a job for the president’s wife was using public money for a role that isn’t officially allowed by the Constitution.

Sowore added: “Women’s voices will be heard, but I don’t think we need a First Lady who is in a position that goes against the constitution and is just spending money that should be used for moving forward and building things.

“I’m just letting you know, based on our policies, there won’t be a position for the first lady during Sowore’s presidency.”

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NCDC Unveils 20-year Devt. Plan For N’Central

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By Philomina Attah

The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has unveiled a draft 20-year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central region.

The plan covers 2027 to 2046 and seeks to transform Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into a productive, connected, inclusive and resilient region.

This is contained in a communique issued at the end of the NCDC Road Map and Stakeholders’ Development Summit held at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, from Sept. 14 to Sept. 15.

The communique was presented by the Chairman of the Technical Sub-Committee, Prof. Muhammad Nuhu, and adopted by participants at the close of the summit.

The theme of the summit was “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region”.

The communique said the summit recorded 862 physical attendees and 49 online participants, including representatives of Federal Government, governors of mandate states and FCT, National Assembly members, traditional and religious leaders, development partners, private sector, academia, civil society and media.

It said the Managing Director of NCDC, Dr Cyril Tsenyil, welcomed participants and described the summit as beginning of inclusive, evidence-led development journey.

It added that the new NCDC logo was unveiled as symbol of unity and collective transformation.
According to the communique, the keynote speaker, Sen.

Iyorwuese Hagher, urged the region to convert its historic contributions, diversity, natural resources and human capital into shared prosperity.

It said the Governor of Nasarawa State and Chairman, North Central Governors’ Forum, Abdullahi Sule, underscored the region’s agricultural and mineral potential and formally presented the draft 20-year plan.

It said the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, who represented the President, commended the consultative process and called for high-impact and fundable interventions.

The communique noted that North Central possesses extensive agricultural land, water, minerals, energy resources and strategic location, but assets had not translated to commensurate productivity and incomes.

It observed that fragmented planning; weak inter-state connectivity, insecurity, infrastructure gaps, limited value addition and inconsistent implementation had constrained regional growth.

It said security remains productive infrastructure, adding that plan must focus on catalytic, region-wide programmes with clear baselines and measurable outcomes.

The summit resolved to develop GIS-enabled regional economic database and map comparative advantages of each state during foundation horizon.

It resolved to build state-specific agricultural and livestock value chains around mechanisation, irrigation, storage, processing and export, and to formalise artisanal mining with mineral-processing clusters.

On infrastructure, it resolved to implement integrated programme connecting six states and FCT through strategic roads, rail, inland waterways and logistics, with priority to corridors unlocking agricultural land and markets.

It gave urgent consideration to Abuja-Lokoja road, regional rail, Baro inland-port logistics and dry-port connections.

It resolved to develop practical regional energy programme and integrate security, climate resilience and maintenance into project design.

On social development, it resolved to establish disaggregated human-capital and social-inclusion data system to guide interventions for children, youth, women, persons with disabilities and rural communities.

It also resolved to implement safe and inclusive education framework, expand STEM, technical and vocational pathways linked to regional value chains, and strengthen health access.

On security, it resolved to establish coordinated regional security and peace-building framework supporting statutory security institutions through intelligence sharing, early warning and inter-state coordination.

It also resolved to integrate security planning into farms, transport corridors, schools and markets and strengthen role of traditional institutions in peace-building.

On climate and environment, the summit resolved to develop North Central Climate and Disaster Resilience Programme with geo-referenced mapping of flood, erosion and drought hazards.

It resolved to undertake priority flood and erosion interventions, provide Safe Homes for climate-displaced persons, and adopt safeguard-before-scale principle for mining corridors.

On digital economy, it resolved to develop inclusive regional digital infrastructure programme, establish AI and digital-skills centres, and create innovation financing mechanism.

On financing, it resolved to match financing instruments to economics of each project, establish disciplined project-preparation pipeline, and mobilise public resources, development finance, PPPs, capital markets and diaspora capital.
On institutional delivery, it resolved to give plan durable legal backing, establish Programme Management Office within NCDC and define responsibilities across stakeholders, with public performance framework and regular reviews.

The summit further resolved that security, reliable data, inclusion, climate resilience, digital enablement and private-sector participation shall be treated as cross-cutting requirements.

It said young people, women, persons with disabilities, displaced persons and rural communities shall participate meaningfully in programme design.

Participants expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for establishing NCDC and to governors of mandate states, FCT Minister, National Assembly and other stakeholders for their contributions.(NAN)(NAN)

Edited by Francis Onyeukwu

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