The Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, on Tuesday said that the effective management and dissemination of undistorted information by the relevant stakeholders to the public would help curb insecurity in the country.
Yahaya said this at the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI) 2022 Media Workshop with the theme: “Harnessing Whole of Society Approach to Curb the Menace of Information Disorder: National Security in Perspective.”
The COAS was represented by the Chief of Supply and Transportation of the Nigerian Army, (NA), Brig.-Gen. Lateef Jimoh, at a workshop held at the NA’s Officers’ Mess, Victoria Island, Lagos State.
Yahaya said that managing security challenges in the country depended solely on effective dissemination of information orchestrated by mutual support among various security agencies and stakeholders in information management.
He said, “It is pertinent to note that with the media as partners in progress, the military and other relevant security agencies have recorded a lot of successes in our various operations.
“I, therefore, urge that the synergy be aggressively sustained so that efforts in protecting our national security will be conveyed to the general public through positive narratives,” he said.
Similarly, Yahaya called on Nigerian media practitioners and other stakeholders in information management to consider the propagation of the message of peace as their responsibility.
“This is done by ensuring that you release objective and factual stories that will foster national cohesion.
“This is achievable through propagation of messages and narratives that are not detrimental to our national unity.
“The achievement of national security as we all know is the collective responsibility of all citizens of our great nation,” he said.
He added that the focus of the workshop was how to confront information disorder including misinformation, through holistic mobilisation of the whole society with national security in perspective.
He reminded the participants that the nation was contending with numerous security challenges such as: insurgency, armed banditry, separatist agitations, kidnap for ransom among other social vices.
“So, the ability to surmount these security challenges depends solely on effective management of information to the larger society,” he said.
The COAS added that the need to support the military toward entrenching sustainable peace and security in our country through dissemination of coherent and factual information could not be overemphasised.
“The Nigeria Army and the Armed Forces in general cannot secure lives and property through the kinetic approach alone as modern warfare is based on intelligence and is media driven.
Yahaya assured Nigerians that the Nigerian Army remained highly committed to its constitutional role of defending the nation and as well encourage her democratic stability.
“We are readily available to fully support the civil authority in whatever capacity that guarantees the protection of Nigerian citizens and their property which I consider the only leeway to national development and progress.
“We remain resolute in expending everything at our disposal to ensure that subversive elements, criminals and other unscrupulous elements are decimated.
“In achieving this, the Nigerian Army is ready to utilise the potential of every stakeholder that will contribute in changing the narrative to own advantage as we carry out selfless service for the protection of our dear country,” he said.
The COAS charged officers and soldiers to be disciplined, dedicated and shun any form of disloyalty to constituted authority.
“We will, among other aspects of human development, continue to build the capacity of our personnel through training of this kind,” Yahaya said.