According to him, the role of a journalists' union should be to defend press freedom and stand with victims of oppression rather than honour individuals accused of undermining fundamental rights.
African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) over its decision to confer its Man of the Year Award on the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, describing the move as a betrayal of the journalism profession and an endorsement of an agency often accused of human rights abuses.
Reacting to the award, Sowore said, "The Nigerian Union of Journalists in Nigeria is dead if it now celebrates those presiding over some of Nigeria’s most egregious human rights violations."
He further criticised the union for honouring the DSS chief despite allegations of abuses attributed to the agency under his leadership.
"Presenting a 'Man of the Year' award to the Director-General of the DSS, Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, despite persistent violations and widespread arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions, intimidation of journalists, and suppression of dissent, is a stain on the conscience of the journalism profession," Sowore stated.
