By Francis Onyeukwu
The Nigeria Army has called on the media to positively report its activities especially the on-going campaign against insurgents with a view to tackling the challenges.
Maj.-Gen. Marcus Kangye, Chief of Civil Military Affairs, Army Headquarters, Abuja, made the appeal in an address at the 18th Social Media Influencers Seminar on Civil-Military Relations on Thursday in Awka.
According to him, the impact of the media especially the social media is capable of adversely affecting any military campaign.
He said this was why the Nigeria Army in 2018 resolved to engage social media influencers, saying the seminar which began in Port Harcourt had held in 17 locations with Awka being the 18th.
Kangye charged the media to see the military as partners and avoid reports that could portray the institution in bad light.
Later in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria he advised road users especially in parts of the South East to always cooperate with the soldiers at check points.
He said that directives given to commuters were in their best interest.
Retired Brig.-Gen. S.K. Usman, former Director of Army Information, who delivered a paper, said military operations and information management required careful and excellent skills.
Usman, whose lecture was titled, “Effects of Social Media on Military Operations: Asymmetric Warfare in Perspective”, noted that the media had the potential to enhance or damage the performances of a military campaign.
Mr Austin Peacemaker, Executive Director, Security Affairs Limited, 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 start of the seminar a lot of issues that would have snowballed into protracted face-off between the military and the public were resolved peacefully.
He advised the media to take advantage of the robust platform created to ensure that security reports were handled more professionally as that would further engender peace in the country.
NAN reports that the seminar was attended by no fewer than 60 social media influencers from Anambra, representatives of other security formations such as the Navy, Airforce, Police, Civil Defence and Nigeria Correctional Service among others.(NAN)
