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.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who chaired the event, commended both the media and security agencies for their roles in promoting national stability.

He called for greater trust and professionalism among stakeholders and reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to intelligence-led security operations, inter-agency collaboration, technological advancement and community-based security strategies.

Several speakers highlighted the critical role of the media in supporting security efforts and strengthening democratic governance.

Political analyst Prof. Okey Ikechukwu emphasised the need for strategic communication to counter misinformation and harmful narratives, while Musikilu Mojeed, President of the International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria, maintained that press freedom and national security should complement each other through dialogue and adherence to due process.

Also speaking, Aisha Ibrahim, President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), advocated greater participation of women in peacebuilding and security governance.

The summit observed that sustainable security requires a whole-of-society approach that combines effective security operations with socio-economic development, community participation and credible public communication.

Participants expressed concern over the growing threat of misinformation, the underutilisation of women and youths in peacebuilding efforts, and the impact of drug abuse on criminal activities.

Among the key recommendations adopted were the institutionalisation of regular dialogue between the media and security agencies, improved transparency in security communication, strengthened fact-checking and ethical journalism standards, expanded joint training programmes for journalists and security communicators, and the integration of the summit’s resolutions into national security policies.

The summit also called for increased government investment in education, youth empowerment, state-owned media organisations and improved funding for security agencies to acquire modern technology and operational equipment.

In its communiqué, the summit expressed appreciation to Ajayi and the DSS leadership for their support and commitment to strengthening media-security cooperation and making the event a success.

The communiqué was drafted by Shu’aibu Usman Leman, Abdulrazak Bello Kaura and Ayuku Pwaspo, and signed by NUJ National President, Comrade Alhassan Yahaya Abdullahi.