Insecurity: Army engages media to enhance public perception, relationship

The Nigerian Army on Monday engaged about 300 social media bloggers and online journalists in Sokoto toward enhancing proper understanding and fostering civic relationship in the fight against insecurity.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the event was tagged: “Civil Military Relations: The Evolving Role of the Social Media in Support of the Nigerian Army’s -Non-Kinetic line of Operations.”
NAN also reports that participants were drawn from 23 Sokoto LGAs and the nearby states.
Speaking at the interactive session, Major General Usman Muhammad, the Chief of Military Civic Affairs in the Army Headquarters, underscored the importance of civic partnerships, especially in the use of modern information tools.
He said the event started in 2018 at Port Harcourt as a way of engaging the civil populace to foster a harmonious and cordial Civil-Military Relationship.
He said: “It is continuous events that will enable the Nigerian Army receive feedbacks on how to serve the Nigerian populace better.
“No doubt this forum will again provide us the necessary and needed opportunity to freely interact, discuss, share ideas and rub minds, particularly towards the eradication of fake news syndrome.”
Muhammad said the exercise was also part of the army’s non-kinetic line of operations, noting that social media had a crucial role to play in supporting the effort.
He explained that the Army was aware of the power of the cyberspace as modern wars were fought using the cyberspace.
He said: “Social media is acting as very dangerous weapons, which has the capability of influencing and shaping the opinions of people, thereby having a critical outcome in the battle being fought.
“There is so much that the social media can do in supporting the Nigerian Army’s operations across the country, comprising fight against insurgency and others.”
Muhammad explained that the event is also expected to provide an avenue to enlighten the public on various developments in the army because a lot had been done.
He said: “Since the inception of the Department of Civil Military Affairs in 2010, it has assisted in bridging the perceived gap of divide with the civil populace and in winning the hearts and minds of the populace that most of you seated here are not aware of.
“As a respected organisation, the Nigerian Army believes in touching the lives of the average citizens for the better in addition to its constitutional roles and as part of the army’s cooperate social responsibilities.”
The military chief noted that the community outreaches through Quick Impact Projects were conducted by the Nigerian Army in the last five years.