Military action can solve only 30 percent of Nigeria’s security challenges – CDS

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has said military action can solve only 30 percent of Nigeria’s security problem.
He said the remaining 70 percent requires non-kinetic approach and other socio economic elements.
General Musa stated this Thursday at a round table organized by National Counter Terrorism Centre Office (NCTC) Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and Defence Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (DECAN).
“It is also necessary to note that the actions of the military in ensuring Nigeria’s national security accounts for only 30 percent of the overall efforts required while the remaining 70 percent for maintaining Nigeria’s peace and security rest on the socio-economic elements of the country.”

According to the CDS, military efforts to safeguard our nation’s sovereignty could be enhanced through development journalism which is a specialized form of journalism that focuses on the social, economic, and political development of a nation.
He charged defence correspondents to embrace development journalism that will enable them to enlighten the people on security issues and as well as hold government accountable to the people.

” In the area of defence beats, development journalism seeks to promote public awareness and understanding of defence as well as security issues, while holding governments, the defence sector and other stakeholders accountable for their actions as well as informing decision-making by policymakers and defence officials.
“The adoption of a development journalism approach allows for a more active collaboration with journalists and media organizations, enabling them to play a more effective role in promoting national cohesion and stability. thereby advancing Nigeria’s national interest.

“Therefore, our national security cannot and should not solely be reliant on the strength of the Armed Forces of Nigeria rather it should be strengthened by Nigeria’s educated, healthy and socially cohesive population underpinned by development journalism. ”

He added that development journalism approach will not only require collaboration and dialogue among stakeholders, it will also focus on people centrism in the accomplishment of Nigeria’s national interest.

He said the approach resonates with his leadership concept which is, “to Nurture a Professional Armed Forces of Nigeria that is People-Centric, Capable of Meeting its Constitutional Responsibilities in a Joint and Collaborative Environment”.

Speaking earlier, the National Coordinator of NCTC, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, noted that journalists were pivotal in shaping public perception and policy on critical issues of national security and interests.

The National Coordinator who said that journalists had the responsibility to report with accuracy, fairness and sensitivity in an environment that was often fraught with misinformation and heightened emotions assured that the centre would continue to collaborate with the media and other critical stakeholders to achieve and sustain the destruction of terrorist propaganda.

He stated the objective of this roundtable discussion was to foster an open and insightful exchange of ideas.

According to him, ” by sharing your experiences, observations and challenges, together we aim to enhance collective understanding of the dynamics of terrorism and its evolving tactics and discover the ethical considerations of reporting on such sensitive issues,” he said.

The Minister of Information, Muhammed Idris, represented by the Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Alhaji Jibrin Baba-Ndace, commended the centre for organising the roundtable saying that it would further enlightened , Defence Correspondents in informing the members of the public in positive perspective in their reportage

He urged the centre and the military to sustain such media engagement to be able to counter the terrorists’ narratives and urged the media to maintain responsible reporting bearing in mind national security and national interest.