President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, on his recognition by the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI) as a champion of press freedom.
Ajayi received a commendation award at the IPI’s Annual Conference held on December 2, 2025, in Abuja, in recognition of what the organisation described as his “unmistakable commitment to press freedom and respect for journalists and media organisations” since assuming office in August 2024.
According to IPI, the award was not only to acknowledge Ajayi’s press freedom credentials but also to encourage him to deepen reforms within the security agency and inspire other public officials and institutions to follow his example.
President Tinubu welcomed the recognition, commending the DSS under Ajayi’s leadership for upholding citizens’ rights and operating within the bounds of the law while carrying out its security mandate.
The President noted that the DSS has made notable efforts to change the long-standing narrative of hostility toward journalists, replacing it with dialogue, engagement, and improved relations with members of the media and the wider civil society.
Tinubu further urged other security agencies and government officials to emulate the DSS approach by seeing the media as partners in nation-building rather than adversaries.
He also encouraged the DSS leadership to sustain its commitment to creating an enabling environment for journalists and media practitioners to carry out their constitutional role of holding public officials accountable.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s support for press freedom as a cornerstone of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
Share this
