Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The Nigerian Army Thursday extolled the pivotal role of the media in the success of military operations across the country.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a media workshop at the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare School, Mohammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri, Abuja, the Acting Commandant, Army School of Public Relations and Information NASPRI), Lt Col Adamu Ngude, said the media remained essential in providing support for successful military operations.
He said the workshop themed: “Harnessing the Potentials of Media for Effective Military Operations within a Joint Environment’’, was in tandem with with the Chief of Army Staff’s command philosophy “to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving constitutional responsibility within a joint environment.”
Ngude said the media workshop was an annual event that held at the end of every year’s training cycle of Nigerian Army’s School of Public Relations and Information (NASPRI).
“The main objective of the workshop is to discuss contemporary media/security issues amongst officers of the Directorate of Army Public Relations, commanding officers,defence correspondents, spokespersons from other security agencies, media stakeholders and online publishers”, he said.
He maintained that “in modern warfare, the media plays a pivotal role for any successful military operations. This is because the cyberspace has become the ultimate decider of who wins or loses a war.
“Therefore, the need to always collaborate with the media for a successful military operation becomes paramount for promoting the right narratives. This further necessitated the choice of the theme for this workshop”, he said.
Ngude emphaised the urgent need to eliminate and avoid media antipathy in view of its implications that pose greater threats to national security.
“This is necessary because the security challenges confronting our dear nation require a robust synergy between the security agencies and the media while playing their various roles in maintaining national security.
“The consequences of discordant relationship between security agencies and the media can culminate in increased public apathy or diminished public trust in the abilities of security agencies to perform their constitutional roles”, he said.
