Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, called for patriotism, citizenship, and national orientation among Nigerians, as he received the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Christopher Musa and other senior military officers in his office in Abuja on Friday.
The Minister said the ministry is championing the cause of nationhood and rebirth, and that it is one place that the military needs to succeed in its operations against terrorism, kidnapping, and other criminal activities.
“We are championing the cause of nationhood and rebirth, and that it is one place that the military needs to succeed in its operations against terrorism, kidnapping, and other criminal activities,” Idris said.
The Minister congratulated General Musa for his appointment as the Chief of Defence Staff, and said he has seen some of the changes that he is doing in the military.
Idris said the Ministry of Information and National Orientation is saddled with the responsibility of managing not just information but also the image of Nigeria, and that the country faces a national image problem due to the security challenges.
He said it is important that Nigerians return to the way they knew Nigeria to be, and that some of the people who went into criminality did not even know why they did so in the first place.
“We need to reclaim and recover our our senses as Nigerians. The concept of nationalism, nationhood, patriotism must return to have the desired unity and prosperity,” Idris said.
He said Nigerians are the ones who can solve their own problems, and that nobody else will come from another place to do it for them.
The Minister said Information management is critical to this, and that the military has both the hard power and the soft power to deal with the challenges.
He said the soft power resides in the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, and that it is very important that there is collaboration between the military and the Nigerian media.
Appreciation and Condolence
The Minister also used the opportunity to thank the Nigerian Armed Forces for all they have been doing to keep the country safe, and to commiserate with them over the incidents that have happened.
“The Armed Forces are relevant and indispensable, and they are toiling day and night, sometimes paying the supreme price, so that Nigerians can have a country to call their own,” Idris said.
He said he has discussed the issue of the unfortunate air strike that killed some civilians in Tudun Wada with the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, and that the Federal Government has sincerely apologized to the people of Tudun Wada and the Kaduna State community.
He said he hopes that the Nigerian Armed Forces will take further care and due diligence going forward, so that such situations do not happen again.
He said he trusts the Armed Forces, and believes in their capacity, capability, and judgment to see that the country gets the kind of peace and prosperity that it deserves.
Collaboration and Partnership
Earlier, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa said the visit by the military officers was aimed at building synergy, understanding, cooperation, and teamwork with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
“We want to share ideas and build understanding with the ministry, so that the ministry can closely monitor what the military is doing and disseminate the same to the public,” General Musa said.
General Musa said the challenges of asymmetric warfare are people-centric, and that both the military and the terrorists or criminals are looking for the hearts and minds of the public.
“Whoever wins the hearts and minds of the public, wins the war, and we do not want the terrorists or criminals to have that edge,” he said.
The CDS said information is one critical aspect of their operation, especially strategic information, and that he understood the importance and relevance of information dissemination to the public, having been the theater commander in the northeast for 19 months.
He said it is a great opportunity for the military to partner on information dissemination to the public, to Nigerians, to have better understanding of what they are facing.
He said it is very important that Nigerians take ownership of what is going on, and that they must all agree that the country will survive and they will all contribute to the success of the country.
“Every Nigerian must understand that they have something at stake, and must be able to contribute their own quota,” General Musa said.
