DHQ strengthens partnership with NUJ FCT to tackle terrorism, banditry

The Nigerian Military has agreed to strengthen its partnership with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, as part of efforts to tackle terrorism and banditry in the country.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General E.S. Buba, discussed this collaboration during a courtesy visit by the NUJ FCT Executive, led by Comrade Grace Ike, at his office in Abuja.

Buba highlighted that strategic partnerships with the media would support the military’s efforts in combating terrorism and banditry, stressing the crucial role public support plays in military operations.

He said, “On the strategic collaboration and partnership, that is a very welcomed development. We would want to do that because we also realize that in this battle against terrorism and insurgency, the people have to be on the side of the government and in this case the military.

“Because how do you cut your message across to that target audience. To tell them that leave those people and come to the government side, because the government has more to offer to you than they (terrorists) have to offer to you.

“How do you take off issues like fake news, misinformation, disinformation and all that, particularly in today’s world where you have the social media.

“So as the terrorists and insurgents are fighting and we are fighting, the question is who are we fighting to win? It is the human beings. The more you are able to win the population to your side, you are gaining victory.

According to him, “The more they win to their side, they are gaining victory. So herein comes the importance of the media.

“We want people to say something when they see something. We want more people to come out and say things.

The defense spokesman stated that “When you compromise on security, you compromise everybody’s security. And we see a lot of comprise on security almost on a daily basis. Either based of ethnic or religious sentiments.

“Your visit could not have come at a better time. We look forward to any kind of engagement that could add value. We need our information to go as far and as wide as possible.

“We are ready to collaborate with you. We will have a strategic collaboration. We would have partnership with you. And we would sit on the table and plan and pick on when we should execute it. We could do round tables and all that.

“Let’s get the information out there. Get the youths to know because some people actually act out of ignorance. So we can get them on board the same page with us and win the war against terrorism and insurgency as a people and not just as a military person.

Meanwhile, Grace Ike, the Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, earlier emphasised the importance of a more proactive relationship between the military and the media to ensure accurate reporting on security issues.

Ike, who was accompanied by Vice Chairman Comrade Yahaya Ndambabo, Secretary Comrade Jide Oyekunle, and Treasurer Comrade Mrs Sandra Udeike, also highlighted the key role the media plays in supporting the military, especially in counterinsurgency operations and promoting responsible journalism.

She urged the military to organise training for journalists to avoid the spread of sensationalism, fake news, and misinformation.

“The visit is aimed at improving collaboration between the military and the media, enhancing communication strategies, and supporting national security,” Ike said.

She commended the Nigerian Army’s efforts in fighting banditry and terrorism across the country, stressing the need for joint initiatives to improve security operations and ensure accurate information reaches the public.

“The NUJ FCT Council is committed to supporting the military by reporting its activities accurately, especially on intelligence and security matters. This will help prevent the spread of fake news,” Ike added.

She emphasised that the purpose of the visit was to deepen the collaboration between the NUJ FCT Council and the Defence Headquarters and called for easier access to the Directorate of Defence Media Operations for balanced and accurate reporting.

“This courtesy visit is geared towards positively influencing future military and media strategies, enhancing collaboration that will lead to improved communication framework and joint initiatives for national security.

“There is need for the military to adopt more proactive engagement with media to ensure accurate reporting on security issues.”

She started further than, “The role of the media in promoting military effort particularly in counterinsurgency and development journalism major be over emphasized. To this end there is need for training and retraining to avoid sensationalizing issues, fake news and misinformation.

“The importance of accurate reporting to foster public trust and support for military operations cannot be overemphasized “ she added