The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has bestowed on the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi with its ‘Man of the Year’ award for strengthening collaboration between security agencies and the media.
The award which bestowed on Mr Ajayi on Friday, June 19, 2026, was “an affirmation that partnership, openness and mutual respect between the media and security institutions are vital to protecting lives, preserving democratic space and advancing nation-building”.
The award comes at the end of a two-day National Security Summit in Abuja with the theme; “Media and Security Agencies as Partners in Nation Building”.
The national security summit which held on June 18 and 19, 2026, attracted the creme of media executives, journalists, security chiefs, policymakers, academics, civil society and development partners.
While presenting the award, the NUJ stressed that it recognised “a leadership approach that values engagement, transparency and partnership”.
According to the NUJ; “Under Ajayi, the DSS has pursued regular interaction with media stakeholders, created channels that reduce suspicion, curb misinformation and foster cooperative solutions to security challenges”.
NUJ President, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya Abdullahi specifically said that the summit was timely amid terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, cybercrime, violent extremism, separatist agitations and hybrid threats.
He said; “National security is a shared responsibility requiring ethical, accurate journalism and coordinated action across institutions”.
In his speech, the Minister of Information, Mr. Mohammed Idris, who chaired the event, commended the NUJ and the DSS and reaffirmed federal government’s commitment to intelligence-driven operations, inter-agency collaboration, tech modernisation and community-based responses.
Speakers at the National Summit that included, Prof Okey Ikechukwu and IPI Nigeria President, Mr. Musikilu Mojeed stressed strategic communication and press freedom as mutually reinforcing.
Similarly, the President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Comrade Aisha Ibrahim pushed for more women in peacebuilding.
Participants recommendations
A communique at the end of the two-day National Security Summit called for institutionalising structured dialogue between the media and security agencies as well as proactive, transparent communication from security services
It further called for stronger fact-checking and ethical standards in journalism in addition to joint training for journalists and security communicators.
Participants also called for more funding for education, youth empowerment, state media and modern security technology.
