IPI Nigeria to immortalise late Treasurer Rafat Idris Salami with University endowment prize

*The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria pledges to endow a prize at the University of Abuja, now Yakubu Gowon University, in honour of its late former Treasurer, Rafat Idris Salami

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has pledged to endow a prize at the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), now Yakubu Gowon University, in honour of its late Treasurer, Rafat Idris Salami.

IPI Nigeria, in a statement issued Friday, December 5, 2025, said the prize to be endowed would be to instil in students of the institution the values that the late Treasurer stood for.

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Mr. Musikilu Mojeed, President of the body, confirmed the decision during the opening ceremony of the 2025 IPI Nigeria Conference and Annual General Meeting held December 2, in Abuja, FCT.

Salami, a former Assistant Director of Digital Media at the Voice of Nigeria (VON), died December 20, 2024, days after the first annual conference and AGM of IPI Nigeria.

The statement noted the deceased participated actively in the event last year despite her illness.

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Speaking on her death in his welcome address at the second annual conference and AGM, Mojeed requested members and guests, including Nigerian Vice-President Kashim Shettima, GCON, and Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Honourable Minister for Information and National Orientation, to observe a one-minute silence in her honour.

The President of IPI Nigeria said: “Last year, even in severe pain and confined to a wheelchair, she insisted on attending the conference.

“She greeted guests, co-ordinated logistics, took photographs with her phone and served with grace until her body could no longer carry her.”

Mojeed also stated: “Her commitment was a reminder that Journalism is not merely a job; it is a calling.

“It demands sacrifice; It demands conviction.”

He noted: “To honour her legacy, the National Committee of IPI Nigeria will endow a prize in her name at the University of Abuja, which was her alma-mater.

“We will work with the University to ensure that every year, young Journalists are inspired by the values Rafat lived by— integrity, courage, and selfless service.”

IPI Nigeria recalled that when she died last year, the body, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, where she had served as Secretary; her employer, VON, and colleagues all eulogised Salami.

The late Salami began her career with VON as a News Editor and correspondent in Lagos.

She rose from the ranks to become VON’s Assistant Director in charge of Digital Media before her demise.

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