The newly appointed Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Ohwonigho Akpor, has urged the media to continue to advance the course of national security while playing its role as watchdog of the society.
Akpor made the call while taking over command of the directorate on Friday, in Abuja.
He pledged to progressively sustain and strengthen the existing media and military cooperation aimed at building a more peaceful and progressive nation.
According to him, just as the media is essential for informing the public about military operations, the media also largely depends on the military to fulfil its mandate.
“Suffice to mention that, while performing its watchdog functions, the media needs to always remember to play the vital role of advancing the course of national security,” he said.
He said that the military with other security agencies had been in the forefront of maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation as well as facilitating economic, political and energy security, amongst other aspects of national security.
He added that morale component had remained an important components of fighting power, which according to him, enables personnel to fight efficiently, braving all difficulties while carrying out their constitutional roles.
He, however, urged the media to play their part in sustaining the morale of the citizenry and especially that of the personnel of the military and other security agencies that had been tackling the contemporary security challenges confronting the nation.
According to him, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has always espoused, ‘Whole of Society Approach’ in dealing with national security issues thus, fostering the morale of the fighting troops.
“The morale of the military would remain your critical contribution to national security as members of the press.
“I must commend the Defence Correspondents for demonstrating high sense of professionalism in the coverage and reportage of defence and security matters.
“I earnestly urge you to continue to remain patriotic while observing the ethical journalistic norms of objectivity, fairness and balance in reporting defence related issues, as we work together to build the Nigeria of our dream,” he said.
The outgone Acting Director, Defence Information, Air Commodore WAP Maigida, said the military had effectively harnessed the support and goodwill of the public, using media platforms to achieve successes in its engagements.
Maigida, who has been appointed Commander 551 Nigerian Air Force Station in Jos, said the directorate also achieved milestone in the area of military-media relations through capacity building and other activities during his tenure.
He called on the media to remain patriotic in their coverage and reportage of issues and events that bother on national security while observing ethical norms in journalism practice.
