By Deborah Coker
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor says Nigeria requires an all of society approach to curtail the various forms of insecurity facing it.
Irabor said this on Thursday in Abuja, at a two-day workshop on “Use of Broadcasting in Complementing the Military in Conflict Mitigation and Management”.
Represented by Rear Admiral Tanko Pani, Director of Training, Defence Headquarters, Irabor said that the complex nature of the security challenges require multi-sectoral and specialised efforts from the society.
He said that the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) have reviewed its strategies and policies and gave prominence to the whole of society approach, to ensure effective attainment of military goals and national development objectives.
“National security in Nigeria is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach from all sectors of the society.
“The country has been grappling with various forms of insecurity in the past decade which include terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, oil theft, piracy, drug and human trafficking, illegal unregulated and unreported fishing and cyber crimes, among others.
“To curtail this security situation, an all of society approach is required.
“The approach involves the participation of the government, security agencies, civil organisations, religious leaders, traditional leaders, the press and the general public,” he said.
Irabor said that the military has been recording successes in the fight against terrorists and other non-state actors in the last decade.
“In order to tackle and subdue the security challenges in the country, several military operations and exercises have been launched by the AFN across the country since 2009.
“Recently, the FGN adopted a non-kinetic approach by developing a policy framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (NAPPCVE).
“The plan recognises the integrated roles of the AFN with the larger society as critical, by adopting a whole of Government and whole of society approach.
“Consequently, the combination of kinetic and non-kinetic efforts have led to a lot of successes in the ongoing operations conducted by the AFN across the country,” he said.
Irabor explained that the Non-Kinetic military operations involved the use of psychological, diplomatic negotiations and economic sanctions to achieve military objectives.
He added that it included civil military operations, cyber warfare, covert intelligence operations and media operations, among others.
“These operations can be used in combination with each other or with traditional military action to achieve specific objectives.
“They are often used in situations where traditional military activities are either not feasible or not appropriate.”
He further said that they can be used to achieve strategic objectives without causing unnecessary damage or loss of life.
The CDS said that the workshop was aimed at re-directing broadcast professionals to promote the benefits derivable by whole of society approach in conflict management.
“It is hoped that the training will assist in bringing synergy between the AFN and the media in curtailing the various security challenges in the country,” Irabor said.
He appreciated all the officers and men of the AFN for their relentless sacrifices and efforts to secure the country.
In his remarks, Malam Balarabe Ilelah, Director General (D-G), Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), there was the need for the media to support military campaigns aimed at tackling the country’s security challenges.
“To achieve this, media should be encouraged by all stakeholders to exhibit professionalism and avoid creating tensions or confusion in the minds of the citizens when reporting security matters.”
According to him, this is because of the inherent implications on the country’s corporate existence.
He added that broadcasting was spontaneous in nature and could reach millions of people at the same time.
“And some of its recipients are passive because they don’t question the integrity and credibility of whatever is transmitted through such medium.
“It is against this background that the NBC is tasked with the responsibility of regulating the broadcast content.”
The NBC D-G noted that the workshop was timely, and called on journalists to avoid using anonymous sources to reveal sensitive intelligence to the public that may affect security operations.
Meanwhile Otumba Adebayo Abdulrazak, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Zacklair Media Consultants Investment Limited, organisers of the workshop, said the workshop was for content creators and programmers.
He said it was meant to explore ways the broadcast media could be used to support the military in this critical period of the nation. (NAN)
