The Director-General (DG) of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, says the agency is investing in schools, places of worship, and sporting facilities across Nigeria as part of a strategy to counter terrorism and subversion through community engagement and social development.
Speaking through a retired DSS director, Alhaji Ahmed Zalmar, during the inauguration of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Darul’Ilm Centre for Islamic Studies in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Saturday, Ajayi said such non-conventional interventions were designed to reduce discontent and win the trust of vulnerable populations.
‘The DGSS, in his usual magnanimity, chose to channel these supports for the well-being of vulnerable and needy groups through several social projects, including building of schools, places of worship, sport centres, among others’, Zalmar said.
He quoted Ajayi as stressing that ‘As the DGSS, I have never used operational funds or budgetary provisions for these philanthropic gestures, aimed to win the hearts of the vulnerable population towards defeating insurgency and terrorism but has always channeled parts of CSRs and other financial support from stakeholders for this purpose’.
‘The DSS mandate goes beyond intelligence gathering and law enforcement. It includes reducing the root causes of insecurity. These projects—funded through corporate social responsibility and private donations—are part of our broader strategy to improve national security’, Ajayi said.
The new centre, which will serve orphans and indigent children, is named after President Bola Tinubu in recognition of his commitment to education and development.
It was entirely funded and donated by Ajayi, a Christian, in an act hailed as a model of interfaith unity and national healing.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, who led dignitaries at the inauguration, described the school as a ‘legacy project’ and a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and unity.
‘When people of different faiths and backgrounds come together for the common good, we build the kind of Nigeria we all dream of’, the Sultan said.
He praised President Tinubu for appointing Ajayi to lead the DSS, calling it a move that helped build bridges of cooperation and understanding.
The Sultan urged Nigerians to downplay religious and ethnic differences and instead focus on shared values and national development.
‘We must never allow religion to become a tool for division. If this kind of initiative is replicated nationwide, Nigeria will surely rise again’, he added.
‘This project sends a powerful message’, the Sultan said. “When people from different backgrounds come together for the common good, we strengthen the fabric of our nation. The gesture by DG DSS is a legacy project that will outlive most of us here’.
He described the new school as a beacon of hope and a strong statement of faith in Nigeria’s future.
‘If we can replicate this kind of initiative across the country, there is hope for Nigeria. Let us not give up’, he added.
Also speaking at the event, Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, applauded the DSS initiative, saying it aligned with the President Tinubu administration’s emphasis on inclusive growth and youth empowerment.
‘With Nigeria projected to supply a significant portion of the global workforce by 2050, education is our best investment’, Edun said.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, represented by his deputy, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, reaffirmed his administration’s support for education and efforts to address poverty and insecurity.
Other dignitaries included the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Bamalli; Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Dahiru Liman; Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi; and several past and present DSS directors.
The Sultan urged more affluent Nigerians to emulate Ajayi by investing in education, especially for disadvantaged children. ‘Only God will reward us for helping orphans and the vulnerable receive the education they deserve’, he said.
