The Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria, General Christopher Musa, has emphasized the military’s commitment to protecting the nation’s sovereignty through the practice of developmental journalism. This specialized form of journalism concentrates on the social, economic, and political advancement of the country.
The Defence Chief made this known during a Roundtable with Defence Correspondents and the Coordinator of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, NCTC in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
General Musa said that “In the area of defence beats, development journalism seeks to promote public awareness and understanding of defence as well as security issues, while holding governments, the defence sector and other stakeholders accountable for their actions as well as informing decision-making by policymakers and defence officials”
He noted that the adoption of a development journalism approach allows for a more active collaboration with journalists and media organizations, enabling them to play a more effective role in promoting national cohesion and stability thereby advancing Nigeria’s national interest.
“Therefore, our national security cannot and should not solely be reliant on the strength of the Armed Forces of Nigeria rather it should be strengthened by Nigeria’s educated, healthy and socially cohesive population underpinned by development journalism.
“More so, the development journalism approach will not only require collaboration and dialogue among stakeholders, it will also focus on people centrism in the accomplishment of Nigeria’s national interest,” he added.
This approach thus resonates with my leadership concept which is, “To nurture a professional Armed Forces of Nigeria that is people-centric, capable of meeting its constitutional responsibilities in a joint and collaborative environment,” he said.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris represented by the Director General Voice of Nigeria, Jibril Baba Ndace said “The sacrifice that troops do make on land, at sea and in the air, and even as we are here, somebody may have paid the Supreme Court, so the only thing you can do for that person at all, even if you are not going to even celebrate the person, don’t go and demoralise the person through reportage and respect that person.”
He noted that beyond just reporting negatively about security, what reporters see sometimes that tends to make some of them very sad, is that they talk about the military and other security agencies as if they are not their brothers and sisters, people who decided to take the path that some of us are afraid to take.
“And therefore I would like to plead with our colleagues that please, we have a responsibility as citizens of this country. Because you can’t even practice your trade if the country is not peaceful. And therefore we have a responsibility to support the armed forces and other security agencies who do their job,” he said.
The Minister urged the media to continue to support President Bola and the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies in the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Resources Person, Major General Chris Olukola, RTD, who presented a paper on National Security And National Interest: A Development Journalism Approach for the Defence Beat said “The essence of this will be the roundtable, as patriotic Nigerians, continue to work together to promote the cultural security awareness and collective responsibility, which has been the gospel we’ve been preaching all this while but everybody should have considered himself or herself a stakeholder.”
According to him, all the narrative and counsel that I’ve been giving at this desk since this started is very essential for us to understand.
“In an era marked by rising security threats, the role of journalists in shaping public perceptions and fostering national cohesion cannot be overstated. So reporting on the defence beat in a counterterrorism context demands a delicate balance between transparency and protection of national security,” he said.
He noted that development journalism, which emphasises nation-building, offers a constructive framework for journalists covering sensitive issues, such as counterterrorism and other security issues with them in our country.
“This paper will try to see the application of development journalism to defence reporting, underscoring the need to be circumspect in ensuring that media coverage aligns with national interests. National security and national interests are intricately linked concepts that form the foundation of the nation’s existence and prosperity. It is this principle that guides the formulation of policies aimed at protecting the state’s sovereignty, ensuring the well-being of the citizens, and fostering socioeconomic growth,” he added.
However, the evolving dynamics of global and domestic threats ranging from terrorism to climate change necessitates a nuanced approach to national security reporting.
This is why the media, as a critical stakeholder in the democratic process in Nigeria, plays a very vital role in promoting national security and national interests through informed and balanced reporting.
This paper proposes a development journalism approach for the defence field, with a focus on promoting national security and national interest in Nigeria.
The relationship between national security, national interest, and defence reporting is very complex and interconnected, with each influencing and shaping the other.
National security and national interest serve as a critical framework for the work of defence reporting, while defence reporting plays a pivotal role in informing and shaping public discourse on policy issues. So this paper explores how a development journalism approach rooted in constructive engagement can enhance the reporting of national security and national interest, fostering a well-informed public discourse.
“A development journalism approach to covering the defence field. Mainly, the terms that are pushed out with this presentation, with the national security, already talked so much about it, and I know in various oral and verbal work, they don’t have it said. It involves safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and societal stability from external and internal threats,” he said.
He stressed that national interest also will show, at least from what we have heard so far. Then the defence beat. The defence beat itself refers to the work of covering, by journalistic practice, security and defence-related matters.
It involves news gathering and dissemination of these areas. So the crux of the presentation will be talking more about these issues, but I believe we relied very much on our background knowledge so far.
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