No hiding place for SSS DG, Oluwatosin Ajayi, By Yemi Kolapo

The continuous reforms in the Service since Ajayi’s assumption of office and the commendable paradigm shift in its culture and orientation have positively impacted the ability of the SSS.

Sixteen months after, without a designated spokesperson, the SSS is inarguably the most commended security agency, especially by the media… What explanation can one offer for this other than the fact that the SSS DG is a golden fish. He has no hiding place. He has justified, within a short period, that his appointment is a perfect fit.

The International Press Institute, Nigeria, on 2 December honoured the Director-General of the State Security Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, while unveiling its first-of-its-kind Book of Infamy. In this book, two state governors and the Nigerian Inspector-General of Police were called out for serious violations of press freedom and democratic norms.

The record, according to the President, IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, is intended as a permanent accountability mechanism, documenting public officials whose actions undermine media freedom in Nigeria.

It highlights repeated patterns of harassment, intimidation, or unlawful restriction of journalists and media organisations.

In a country where genuine media analyses of the state of governance, economic policies and human development indices have almost become non-existent, owing to economic pressure and the fear of harassment by security agencies, any effort by institutions such as the IPI and others to restore the confidence of journalists in nation building through constructive pens and voices, should be commended loudly.

Not a few journalists now prefer to hide under fictitious names to report or analyse glaring misconducts by top officials of key ministries, departments and agencies, especially security and anti-graft agencies, for fear of being harassed or taken into custody, especially with the absence of structured welfare in many media organisations and the notion that “a motherless child does not go into the evil forest.”

However, for the head of a strategic security agency such as the SSS to be singled out for his exemplary conduct in protecting journalists, under an administration that has been, rightly or wrongly, accused of doing everything to gag activists and the opposition, including the media, it may be safe to conclude that the real body language of President Bola Tinubu does not support press intimidation and/or harassment.

Those who know the professionals behind the IPI’s Book of Infamy would agree that the positions highlighted in it would have been arrived at after months of painstaking research and correspondences aimed at fair hearing for both the perceived victims and oppressors.

While defending its positive stance on the activities of the SSS DG since he assumed office, the IPI said under his leadership, the SSS has demonstrated restraint and professionalism in its dealings with media organisations.

According to the Institute, under Ajayi’s watch, incidents of harassment and unlawful detention have been resolved promptly, including the permanent removal of long-standing watchlist entries and immediate release of detained journalists.

It said the agency had also engaged constructively with media houses to resolve disputes, while avoiding confrontations and promoting dialogue. This, to many students of history, may appear alien to the familiar culture in such powerful institutions.

It has also driven home the efficacy of dialogue-based tact in resolving complex security or other issues.

Top on the list of interventions credited to the SSS DG was the removal from the government’s watchlist, of the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, after 40 long years!

Those who know the SSS DG closely would tell you, without being biased, that he is a no-nonsense official, who is loyal only to his job. But he listens and never hesitates to right unintended wrongs once established. This is what separates him from the crowd. Little wonder Ajayi was also credited with the quick release of journalists wrongly arrested by the secret police.

While I would not want to dwell too much on the nature of violations identified against the first three public officials to be listed in the all-important Book of Infamy, because that is not the focus of this article, I want to congratulate the President again for the choice of Ajayi as SSS DG.

Long before his appointment in August 2024, the name Tosin Ajayi had been a recurring one among operatives of the Secret Service whenever the topic of discussion was uncommon capacity/intelligence, integrity, generosity, or what some of them called unbelievable humility.

Close contacts among the secret police had, for over a decade, singled him out as one official who could always be relied upon to tackle complex situations in sensitive regions of Nigeria.

One of them, who worked with my former boss at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, would tell me: “Aunty, we don’t have two of them”.

The unprecedented jubilation by SSS officials seen in viral videos across Nigeria, following the appointment of Ajayi, who had served as state director in Enugu, Rivers, Bauchi, Kogi, and Bayelsa, was therefore not unexpected.

To many of them, the appointment was long overdue and the President could not be faulted by whatever yardstick.

The continuous reforms in the Service since Ajayi’s assumption of office and the commendable paradigm shift in its culture and orientation have positively impacted the ability of the SSS to play its core roles in a democratic setting like Nigeria.

The behind-the-scenes reorganisation, confidence boosters and welfare enhancement have, more than ever before, prepared this respected agency for unobtrusive surveillance and eagle-eye accuracy.

Checks at the SSS headquarters and around the state offices have revealed high morale among officials, who would not hesitate to tell you, in confidence, that they have never had it better. So, why won’t they perform?

Their efficiency, under the current leadership, is felt right from the first entrance gate to the last, through unmistakable professionalism. Kudos to the DG.

On the recognition by IPI, one good thing for the media is that the congratulatory message by President Tinubu to the SSS DG on Sunday, would, most likely, open the door for other key government officials and institutions to emulate the example that has been established.

“The President affirms that the DSS under Mr Ajayi is changing the narrative of hostility against members of the press and creating an atmosphere of dialogue and robust engagement with the civil populace,” a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said.

Many would recall that the SSS DG set out to deliver on his mandate strictly without noise, concentrating on correcting the flaws in the system and setting the stage for an indisputably efficient service.

One of the first steps he took was the redeployment of the former Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Peter Afunanya, without naming a replacement.

Sixteen months after, without a designated spokesperson, the SSS is inarguably the most commended security agency, especially by the media.

What explanation can one offer for this other than the fact that the SSS DG is a golden fish. He has no hiding place. He has justified, within a short period, that his appointment is a perfect fit.

To conclude, I want to thank the IPI Nigeria for selecting me as a panelist, along with three eggheads in the media industry, to do justice to the topic: “Building Sustainable Media in Nigeria: Navigating Innovation, Credibility, and Revenue Challenges.” Though I missed the session, owing to circumstances beyond my control, I congratulate the organisers of the annual conference for the huge success of the 2025 outing.

Yemi Kolapo, an ace columnist, is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of The Point newspapers.