By: Gift Chapi Odekina, Abuja
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has conferred its Man of the Year Award on the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, in recognition of his efforts in fostering collaboration between security agencies and the media.
The award was announced on Friday at the conclusion of the NUJ’s two-day National Security Summit held in Abuja.
Speaking while presenting the summit’s communiqué, NUJ National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya Abdullahi, said the honour was in recognition of Ajayi’s leadership style, which has promoted engagement, transparency and mutual understanding between the media and security institutions.
According to the union, the award underscores the importance of partnership between journalists and security agencies in safeguarding lives, protecting democratic values and advancing national development.
The summit, themed “Media and Security Agencies as Partners in Nation Building,” was organised by the NUJ in collaboration with the DSS and brought together media executives, journalists, heads of security and intelligence agencies, policymakers, academics, civil society groups and development partners.
Participants deliberated on the role of strategic communication, responsible journalism and coordinated security responses in addressing Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
The NUJ noted that under Ajayi’s leadership, the DSS has maintained constructive engagement with media stakeholders, creating avenues for dialogue, reducing mistrust and helping to curb misinformation on security-related issues.
Abdullahi described the summit as timely, given the country’s security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime, violent extremism and separatist agitations.
He stressed that national security is a collective responsibility that requires ethical journalism, accurate information dissemination and coordinated efforts among all stakeholders.(Vanguard)
