The Nigerian media has been asked to avoid demoralizing troops through their reportage.
The Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, made the appeal during his maiden interactive session with defence correspondents in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
“Without the sacrifices of the troops, people will not go about doing their normal business and as such, let’s appreciate the troops for them to do more.
We all are humans and the troops are aware of their families getting injured, and yet they will be assaulted.
Remember that there are people, who stand day and night, protecting the territorial integrity of the country, standing in so that we can sleep with our eyes closed, go about doing our lawful work.
For without them standing up, it will be extremely difficult; we might not even get the chance to do that.
We have seen how troops have been suffering and how civilians are also suffering,” General Musa said.
#DHQupdate
Chief Of Defence Staff Maiden Media Parley With Defence Correspondents, At The Defence Headquarters Nigeria Main Conference Room, Abuja. 15 Dec 2023 pic.twitter.com/JaLbOCzQf9— DEFENCE HQ NIGERIA (@DefenceInfoNG) December 15, 2023
The Kaduna Bombing
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Speaking on the recent accidental bombing of the Tudun Biri community in Kaduna State, the Chief of Defence Staff restated the mandate of the Nigerian Military, which is to protect civilians and not to kill.
He described the incident as very unfortunate, assuring that those responsible for the bombing would be punished after due investigations.
A minute’s silence was observed for those that died in the incident.
“Our mandate is to protect civilians, not to kill or destroy anything.
And that particular time was in the heat of pursuing some bandits within that general area. And unfortunately, this happened.
I’m happy the President and Commander-in-Chief has set up a committee that will look into it critically so that they can also advise on the way forward and how to prevent a future occurrence.
And then whatever it is, we know the casualties so that they can also be compensated,” he said.
Take Ownership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria
General Christopher Musa urged Nigerians to take ownership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
“We are not aliens from other countries. We have friends, fathers, mothers, uncles, grandfathers here, so the military will not want any harm to befall anybody.
When you see something not going right, please report. Don’t just keep quiet and pass by. Report, if you want positive changes so that the Armed Forces will take action.
“I always mention that wherever we operate, we have standing commercials. The commercials are not to scare anybody.
“The Armed Forces wants to always compliment the troops when they do well so as to do more,” he explained.
Verifying Facts
In an interview with the journalists, the Defence Chief emphasized the need to verify information before using it so as to avoid confusion.
He noted that military invention is only 30 per cent while 70 per cent is for good governance.
“Lack of security awareness is a big mistake.
“The Armed Forces is going to continue to operate jointly, as they are going to also be able to harmonize more on their operations because the military runs over 1,000s of operations every day,”
Earlier, the Director, Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, said the role of the media cannot be overemphasized, as the media is the watchdog of the society.
“Defence correspondents are the ones that create news for their editors to work on.
The Chief of Defence Staff is meeting with the media as critical stakeholders to share leadership concepts for the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” said Brigadier General Tukur Gusau.
He promised that at the appropriate time, the Chief of Defence Staff will find time to hold a similar interactive session with editors, bureau chiefs, and other stakeholders in the media industry.
He urged the journalists present to take maximum advantage of the meeting to educate the general public on the leadership style of the Chief of Defence Staff, which is people-centric.
“The media has a force multiplier effect in the efforts of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to win the hearts and minds of the populace.
Therefore, your role is critical, and you should always strive to ensure public support for the military and also boost the morale of the troops,” he advised.
