Military seeks media collaboration against terrorism, say CDS
The Chief of Defence Staff, (CDS) General Abayomi Olonisakin, said on Thursday that the military will further explore more areas for collaboration and partnership with the media to ensure that acts of terrorism and criminalities in the country are checkmated.
He stated this in Abuja while declaring open the 2017 Defence Correspondents seminar with the theme: ‘Professional Information Management, a Panacea for Improved National Security,’ organised by the Directorate of Defence Information.
The CDS who spoke through Rear Admiral Ango said that the military determination and resolve to restore peace and security in the trouble spots in the country has never been in doubt adding that the armed forces and other security agencies are working hard to ensure that terrorism and criminalities among others are checkmated.
He appealed to defence correspondents to exercise restraint while reporting on issues that have serious security implications.
Meanwhile, a six point communiqué issued at the end of the seminar stated that both the armed forces of Nigeria and the Press should always be conscious of National security and National interest in the totality of their information management .
That there should be no mutual suspicion between the military and the press. That the Armed Forces of Nigeria should releases timely and accurate information to the press for onward dissemination to the public.
The communiqué also stated that the regular dialogue between the press and the Armed Forces of Nigeria should be sustained while the press should endeavour to clear grey points from the appropriate Defence information source before publishing. It also urged Defence information sources to make themselves readily and easily accessible to defence correspondents.
Earlier, in his remark during the opening ceremony, the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General John Enenche, had observed that the seminar would ensure that defence correspondents are adequately prepared to function creditably.
