Abuja: The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has named and honoured the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Adeola Ajayi, as ‘Man of the Year’. This is contained in a statement by the National President of the NUJ, Mr Alhassan Yahaya on Sunday in Abuja. Yahaya said the honour was for Ajayi’s leadership in strengthening collaboration between security agencies and the media.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Yahaya framed the NUJ’s decision to honour Ajayi as 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 just concluded two-day National Security Summit held in Abuja with the theme ‘Media and Security Agencies as Partners in Nation Building,’ was organised by the NUJ in collaboration with the DSS.
He said the summit attracted media executives, journalists, chiefs of security and intelligence agencies, policymakers, academics, civil society actors, and development partners. Yahaya explained that delegates met from June 18 to June 19 to deliberate on how strategic communication, responsible journalism, and coordinated security responses could jointly advance national stability.
‘The investiture recognised more than a title: it honoured a leadership approach that values engagement, transparency, and partnership,’ Yahaya stated. Key recommendations adopted at the summit included institutionalising structured dialogue between media and security agencies and improving proactive and transparent communication from security services.
Other recommendations are strengthening fact-checking and ethical standards in journalism, expanding joint training for journalists and security communicators, and integrating summit outcomes into national security frameworks, Yahaya said.