The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr Oluwatosin Ajayi, has been honoured with the Friend of the Media award by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria.

The award was announced at the Nigeria Broadcasting Awards Night held on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to a statement made available to PUNCH Online on Thursday, Ajayi was among the special awardees recognised for their support for the media industry.

BON described the DSS boss “as a thoroughbred professional, who since his appointment by President Tinubu, has displayed utmost respect for the media.”

The head of the BON steering committee, Bayo Awosemo, who was also honoured for his exemplary leadership, received the award on behalf of Ajayi.

Other recipients recognised alongside Ajayi include the Governor of Zamfara State, Dr Dauda Lawal; Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris; and a former Executive Secretary of BON, Mr Obadiah Tohomdet.

The latest recognition comes barely five months after the International Press Institute honoured Ajayi with an award for championing press freedom.

The IPI award, presented on December 2 at its annual conference in Abuja, acknowledged Ajayi’s commitment to respecting journalists and improving relations between the security agency and the media since his appointment in August 2024.

In his remarks, Lawal thanked the organisers for recognising hard work, professionalism, and impactful contributions to society.

“I believe the media has a role to play in shaping everything that we do, not just in Nigeria but all over the world,” Lawal said.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who was the chief host, commended BON for conceiving and sustaining the initiative.

BON is an umbrella body representing chief executive officers of over 300 broadcast media organisations across Nigeria.

The Kano State Government has so far paid N32 billion of the N48 billion backlog of gratuity and death benefits it inherited from the former administration of Abdullahi Ganduje.

The state governor, Abba Yusuf, disclosed this on Wednesday while flagging off the payment of the sixth tranche of N5 billion gratuity and death benefits to retirees in the state.

“When we came in May 2023, we inherited a N48 bn backlog of gratuity and death benefits from the previous administration.

“Alhamdulilahi, today I am happy to say that N27 bn has been settled in five tranches.

“With the payment of sixth tranche of N5 billion, we have now paid N32 bn out of the N48 billion backlog of gratuity and death benefits,” he said.

He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to offset the remaining N16 billion before the end of the year to alleviate the sufferings of the retirees and their families.

“The settlement of these outstanding gratuities and death benefits not only alleviates the hardship faced by affected families but also reaffirms the administration’s promise to restore trust in government and uphold social justice,” he said.

He commended the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners for their patience and good leadership.

Some of the pensioners thanked Yusuf for his magnanimity and pledged to reciprocate the gesture by ensuring his success in 2027.

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has commenced its 2026 recruitment exercise, inviting qualified citizens from member states, including Nigeria, to apply for over 30 positions across its various institutions.

In a notice sighted on its website on Thursday, the regional bloc said the exercise is aimed at strengthening the implementation of its sectoral programmes across key institutions.

It urged interested candidates to apply through its website: https://www.ecowas.int/careers/.

According to the notice, available roles in Nigeria include Office Aide, Programme Assistant, Nurse, Protocol Assistant, Documentation and Archives Assistant, Office Manager (Bilingual Secretary), Junior Accountant (Disbursements), Accountant positions, Legal Officers, Political Advisor, Principal Officer roles, Registrar positions, Head of Division (Library and Documentation), and Head of Hansard, all based in Abuja.

Roles based outside Nigeria include Administrative and Finance Officer in Addis Ababa; PPO (Sports Policy) in Liberia; Principal Programme Officer (Water Supply and Sanitation) in Conakry; and other legal and administrative positions in Dakar, Senegal.

ECOWAS noted that applicants must meet age requirements depending on the category of the role.

“35 years of age for General Services or Support positions (G1 to G7), 45 years of age for Professional category (P1 to P7), and 50 years of age for Director positions (D1-D2),” it said.

The organisation also encouraged female candidates to apply, adding that only shortlisted applicants would be contacted.

Applicants are required to download and complete an official application form, attach a curriculum vitae and a motivation letter, and submit them via designated email addresses before the deadline.

“All applications must include the application form, CV and a cover letter. Applications that do not contain all mandatory documents will not be considered,” the notice stated.

Applications close on April 30, 2026.

ECOWAS emphasised that it does not charge any fees for recruitment and warned applicants against fraudulent requests for payment or personal financial details.