Nigerian Army have is calling on the media to positively report its activities especially the on-going campaign against insurgents with a view to tackling the challenges.
Chief of Civil Military Affairs at Army Headquarters, Abuja, Maj.-Gen. Marcus Kangye, made the appeal in an address at the 18th Social Media Influencers Seminar on Civil-Military Relations on Thursday in Awka.
Kangye said the impact of the media, especially the social media, is capable of adversely affecting any military campaign.
He said it was for this obvious fact that the Nigeria Army in the year 2018 resolved to engage social media influencers, and disclosed that, the seminar which began in Port Harcourt has been held in 17 locations and Awka being the 18th.
Kangye charged the media to see the military as partners and avoid reports that would portray the institution in bad light.
Later in an interview, he advised road users especially in parts of the South East to always cooperate with the soldiers at checkpoints as directives given to commuters were in their best interest.
Former Director of Army Information, retired Brig.-Gen. S.K Usman, who delivered a paper said military operations and information management require careful and excellent skills.
Usman, whose lecture was entitled, “Effects of Social Media on Military Operations: Asymmetric Warfare in Perspective”, noted that the media hold the potential to enhance or damage the performances of a military campaign.
Executive Director of Security Affairs Limited, Austin Peacemaker, in Abuja, a group partnering the Army on the seminar said he conceived the project to create a seamless platform for military/civil relationship.
Peacemaker noted that since the kick-off of the seminar, a lot of issues that would have snowballed into protracted face-offs between the military and the public have been resolved peacefully.
He advised the media to take advantage of the robust platform created to ensure that security reports are handled more professionally as that would further engender peace in the country.
