Army Chief Calls For Military-Media Synergy for Development, Lauds Declined Cases of Human Rights Violations

The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs Army Headquarters, Maj. Gen. Markus Kangye has said if National security and development are to be achieved, then it is imperative for the Military and Media to synergize and work as partners. He disclosed that with better synergy and greater collaboration between the Military, Media and patriotic Nigeria, addressing insurgency is possible.

The top Army Officer made the disclosure in Jos, the Plateau State Capital during the 2023 2nd Quarter Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Media Chat with the theme “Media as a critical tool in addressing insecurity in Nigeria” which held at Patrick Hall Crispan Hotel Jos.
According to him, with enhanced Civil-Military cooperation and collaboration, the mandate of the department of Civil-Military Affairs will be achieved.

He said since the establishment of the Department of Civil-Military Affairs especially its legal desk manned by competent personnel, there has been significantly reduction in cases of human rights violations among military personnel.
He hinted that the department serve primarily as an interface between the Nigerian Army and the Civil Populace and has the responsibility of underscoring the fundamentals of Civil-Military Affairs as a Strategic National Institution.
He disclosed that to achieve mutually benefiting relationship, Army personnel will continue to be professional and remain apolitical in line with the ethics, customs and traditions of the Nigerian Army.
He said the Nigerian Army and the Media need to partner to tackle rumours, fake news and misconceptions of the public about the Nigerian Army.
He applauded the Chief of Army Staff for the sterling leadership he is providing and described him as a visionary and patriotic Nigeria who is working round the clock to ensure that his agenda of having a safer and secure Nation is actualized.
He listed some of the Chief of Army Staff Civil-Military Special Intervention Projects aimed at strengthening relationship with Nigerians to include; constructed and furnished block of three(3) Classrooms/6 Toilets and borehole facility at Owu Baptist Day School Oyo State; the Nigerian Army Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) project in Nyamrat Community Bauchi State, CIMIC Project in Oban Akamkpa Cross River State and numerous others across the Nation.
He said the Nigerian Army has continued to deploy its non-kinetic approach to achieve greater results.

In his opening remarks the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Col. Faruk Yahaya CFR, who was represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division, Maj. Gen. Abdulsalami Ibrahim commended the Department of Civil-Military Affairs for the initiative and noble gesture which he said will further foster better collaboration with the media.
He said no Nation can progress without the media because they play significant role in Nation building and in reporting the activities of the Military.
He harped on the new for greater synergy to curb the fake news syndrome and work towards the actualization of a professional Nigerian Army ready to accomplish assigned mission within a joint environment in defence of Nigeria which is the core vision of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya.

While presenting on the topic titled “The Media and National Security: Partners for Development”, Mr. Emmanuel Ogbeche the Chairman of Council, NUJ FCT disclosed that the media plays an important role in National security by functioning as a watchdog capable of calling attention to National issues and said creating a healthy relationship with the security agencies is vital towards achieving public safety, protection of economic interests and political stability.
He said the Nigerian Media is facing threats and is being ranked poorly in press freedom, asserting that to change that ugly trend, there is need for collaboration and regular communication between the Military and the Media.
“The collaboration between the media and military is important for safeguarding national interest and security in Nigeria, and this require capacity building, access and a common ground to have a society that works for everyone” he asserted.
The media Chat also featured a panel discussion session and participants were charged to be truthful, objective and prioritize the national interest against primordial sentiments. They were encouraged to accord military agency support to achieve its overall mandate of protecting the Nation’s territorial integrity.

The event was well attended by Top Army Officers, Media Executives, Media Practitioners and Bloggers.