Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), has commended the publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi, for winning the 2020 International Press Freedom Award.
Olorunyomi, a journalist, became the only African named among the three winners of this year’s award by the international journalism advocacy and rights group,the Committee for Protection of Journalists (CPJ). Others awardees are nationals from Bangladesh, Iran, and Russia.
“The announcement of social crusader, journalist and publisher of Premium Times, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi”, Tinubu said, “is a befitting reward for his untiring service to Nigeria he loves with uncompromising passion and to people-centred journalism”, Tinubu tweeted on Sunday.
President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have, similarly, congratulated Olorunyomi on receiving the noble award.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, President Buhari said, “It is gratifying to hear of this award to one of our own”. He urged the revered journalist to ” recommit himself to all that is noble, fair, and just in journalism.”
On his part, Alhaji Atiku eulogized Olorunyomi for having “courage to speak truth to power via the instumentality of journalism”.
There have been praises for Olorunyomi, a reputable investigative journalist and anti-corruption crusader.