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The Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards (NBMA), Saturday, conferred its Special Honour for Broadcasting Leadership and Industry Development on Alhaji (Dr.) Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, Chairman of the Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (IBAN).
The NBMA, at its 7th edition of the awards held at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, said the honour was in recognition of Ramalan’s contribution to the development and advancement of broadcasting in Nigeria, his leadership within the industry, commitment to the growth of independent broadcasting, and continued investment in the media landscape through Liberty TV and Radio FM stations.
Also in viewers voted Ramalan and Liberty TV as the ‘Best Indigenous TV Channel in Nigeria’ in the ‘Viewers’ Choice’ category at the 2026 awards, recognitions that reaffirmed their standing among audiences, contributions to indigenous broadcasting in the country.
The awards body noted that, as IBAN chairman, Ramalan’s strong voice has shaped important industry conversations on the interests of Nigerian broadcasters, the protection of Nigerian information sovereignty, and the sustainability and future of the sector.
It also cited his philanthropy and commitment to supporting people and communities as distinguishing his contributions to society, describing Ramalan’s journey as an important milestone in the country’s broadcast media.
In a convener’s message, the NBMA said it considered it both appropriate and significant to publicly acknowledge his service to the industry and wider Nigerian society, as the platform exists to celebrate excellence, honour impact and inspire the future of broadcasting.
In his goodwill message at the ceremony, Ramalan challenged broadcasters to protect professional competence and editorial integrity as Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly transforms journalism, television production and broadcast engineering.
Speaking on the theme, “Professional Competence in the Age of AI: The Case for Supporting Intelligence,” the IBAN chairman argued that AI should serve as an aid to human expertise rather than a substitute for professional knowledge, judgement and accountability.
Ramalan proposed what he described as the ’80/20 Principle of Professional Competence’, under which at least 80 percent of professional effort should remain grounded in human knowledge, creativity, competence and judgement, while AI should contribute no more than 20 percent as supporting intelligence.
He clarified that the principle was not a literal measurement of processing time but a framework for professional discipline, stressing that editorial authority, verification and accountability must remain entirely human. “Technology must support professional judgement, not replace it,” he said.
Illustrating the principle with examples from different areas of broadcasting, Ramalan noted that AI could assist journalists with interview transcription, document analysis, statistical pattern recognition and research.
He, however, maintained that the responsibility to investigate, interrogate evidence, establish context and distinguish facts from speculation remained with human journalists.
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