President Bola Tinubu has applauded the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Oluwatosin Ajayi, for steering the nation’s domestic intelligence agency away from a history of media clampdowns and towards constructive engagement with journalists, an evolution now recognised by the Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI).
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Sunday, explained that Mr. Ajayi received a special commendation award at IPI Nigeria’s annual conference on December 2, 2025, in Abuja.
According to the institute’s citation: “Since he was appointed Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) in late August 2024, Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi has demonstrated an unmistakable commitment to press freedom and respect for journalists and media organisations.
“We do so not only to acknowledge his commendable press freedom credentials but also to encourage him to do even more and to inspire other officials, institutions, and organisations to emulate his example.”
Tinubu welcomed the honour as a validation of ongoing reforms within the DSS, praising Mr. Ajayi for upholding citizens’ rights, moderating the agency’s engagement with the public, and conducting intelligence operations within the bounds of the law.
He noted that under Mr. Ajayi, the DSS has begun shedding a reputation shaped by arrests, harassment, and intimidation of journalists, and is instead cultivating transparency, dialogue, and respect for constitutional guarantees.
Tinubu urged other security agencies to take a cue from this “attitudinal shift,” stressing that democratic security agencies must see the press as partners in accountability rather than enemies to be neutralised.
The President further charged the DSS leadership not to lose momentum, saying the institution must continue opening its channels to scrutiny while protecting the civic environment in which journalism thrives.
In his view, the constitutional mandate that empowers the press to question authority is not an inconvenience; it is a democratic safeguard.
“IPI Nigeria, which bestowed the award, has made safeguarding its central mission. The committee documents censorship, alerts authorities to arbitrary detention and police harassment of journalists, and challenges attacks on media houses,” he said.
“Working through the global IPI network, it ensures domestic violations are elevated to international scrutiny.
“To institutionalise reform, IPI Nigeria has created standing committees on press freedom, journalist safety, and media ethics, and convenes annual conferences and general meetings, including the 2025 edition scheduled for December 2-3, to debate solutions to systemic threats.
“Its influence is expanding, with 51 new members inducted this year, strengthening collective advocacy.
“Beyond watchdog work, the institute has invested heavily in professional development. Through programmes such as Smart Media Press, IPI Nigeria trains emerging reporters in writing, broadcast skills, ethical reporting, and public speaking, preparing a generation equipped to defend independent journalism at a time of shrinking civic space and heightened political tension.
“For IPI Nigeria and its honourees, the message is clear: opening doors to the press is not a risk to national security; done properly, it is one of its guarantees.”
