IPI Nigeria to immortalise late treasurer, Rafat Idris Salami, with university endowment prize
Story by Okafor Vivian
The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has announced plans to endow a prize at the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) in honour of its late Treasurer, Rafat Idris Salami.
According to a statement on Friday, the prize will aim to instil in students the values that the late Treasurer stood for, including integrity, courage, and selfless service.
The President of IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, confirmed the decision during the opening ceremony of the 2025 IPI Nigeria Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) on December 2, 2025.
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Salami, who was the Assistant Director of Digital Media at the Voice of Nigeria (VON), passed away on December 20, 2024, just days after participating actively in the first annual conference and AGM of IPI Nigeria despite being seriously ill.
In his welcome address at the second annual conference and AGM, Mojeed requested members and distinguished guests, including Vice President Kashim Shettima and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, to observe a one-minute silence in her honour.
“Last year, even in severe pain and confined to a wheelchair, she insisted on attending the conference,” Mojeed said. “She greeted guests, coordinated logistics, took photographs with her phone, and served with grace until her body could no longer carry her. Her commitment was a reminder that journalism is not merely a job; it is a calling. It demands sacrifice; it demands conviction.”
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He added, “To honour her legacy, the National Committee of IPI Nigeria will endow a prize in her name at the University of Abuja, her alma mater. We will work with the University to ensure that every year, young journalists are inspired by the values Rafat lived by.”
Salami’s contributions were widely recognised. She was eulogised by IPI, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, where she served as Secretary, her employer VON, and colleagues.
The late Salami began her career with VON as a News Editor and correspondent in Lagos, eventually rising to the position of Assistant Director in charge of Digital Media before her demise.
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Her legacy will now continue to inspire future generations of journalists through the endowment prize at UniAbuja.
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