Veteran journalist and retired Permanent Secretary in Abia State, Deacon Uzoma Livingstone Isiakpu, has been selected for recognition at the 2026 Milestone Recognition of Media Icons in Nigeria organised by the National Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
According to a nomination letter signed by the NUJ National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya; National Secretary, Chief Achike Chude; and Chairman of the Planning Committee, Otunba Gbenga Onayiga, the award ceremony will take place on Saturday, 7 November 2026, at the Continental Hotel, Abuja, formerly known as Sheraton Hotel & Towers.
The event is scheduled to commence at 2:00 p.m.
The organisers said the recipients were selected in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the growth and development of journalism in Nigeria.
Isiakpu, a versatile journalist and prolific writer, began his career at The Statesman, where he worked as a features writer.
Following the creation of Abia State, he became the pioneer Government House Correspondent of National Ambassador, covering successive administrations, including those of Frank Ajobena, Ike Nwosu and Ogbonnaya Onu.
He later served as Politics Editor before rising to the position of News Editor at the newspaper.
In 2003, Isiakpu joined the Abia State Ministry of Information as an Assistant Chief Information Officer, where he steadily progressed through the ranks.
He became the State Director of Information in 2019, a position he held until 2021, when he was appointed Permanent Secretary.
Beyond his public service career, Isiakpu has maintained an active presence in journalism and public commentary. He has served twice as Secretary and was also Chairman of the National Ambassador Chapel of the NUJ.
Despite retiring from public service, he has continued contributing to the media industry through articles and commentaries published in national newspapers, including Vanguard and BusinessDay.
His writings have also appeared on several online platforms, including News Mirror, Newshaus, BreezyNews Nigeria, HantoNews and Ngwafacts News.
Isiakpu also features as a social critic and commentator on BCA and Vision Africa, while contributing news features to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).
The NUJ recognition is expected to celebrate his decades of professional service, versatility and enduring contributions to journalism and public information in Nigeria.
