The Acting Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. John Agim, has urged the media to join the efforts to drive out the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists from the North-East, saying the military cannot do it alone.
Agim made the appeal on Wednesday when he paid a visit to the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Bayo Onanuga.
He stressed the need for the media to give adequate coverage to the ongoing military exploits against remnants of terrorists, as well as gains being recorded.
The acting DDI said this was to enable Nigerians to know what their military was doing in the area and even in other parts of the country.
Agim said: “I know that the military cannot do it alone. Our operation now is information-driven.
“The people need to know what we are doing and your organisation – NAN, is the one that can give us that kind of support.
“If you know what is happening in the North-East, even when the Boko Haram is decimated, they still try to find a voice which shows that without partnering with esteemed organisation like you, NAN, the citizens will not know what we are doing and the propaganda from the terrorists will take the day.’’
He also said that the media had a critical role to play at the current stage of ongoing operations, adding that there was need for information about the military “to flow seamlessly without any interruption’’.
He said: “In the fight we have now, there is need to partner with the media and there is need to partner with the citizens because those who are causing problem in our society are living with us.
“We want to let the people know that they need to give information.’’
Reponding, Onanuga described NAN as a major provider of news to almost all the media organisations in the country.
He assured that the agency was ready to partner with the military to pass the appropriate information about their operations and activities to the public.
According to him, very recently, the agency strengthened its coverage of the North-East by deploying a more competent hand to the region.
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