President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded co-founder and publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi, on his being named one of the four awardees for year 2020 International Press Freedom Award, by the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ.
The president said the honour attested to Olorunyomi’s many decades of commitment to the ideals of journalism and freedom of the Press.
“Democracy and a free Press are kindred spirits, and that is what we have committed to as a government. It is, therefore, gratifying to hear of this award to one of our own,” President Buhari says.
He enjoined Olorunyomi to use the occasion of the award to recommit himself to all that was noble, fair and just in journalism, adding that a responsible media was part of the building blocks of a country.
The president reiterated that a free and responsible Press remained an abiding commitment of the Nigerian government, and urged the media to adhere to the finest tenets of the noble profession at all times.
Olorunyomi wins the CPJ award along with three other journalists from Bangladesh, Iran and Russia.
