Concerned Professionals’ Congress (CPC) has described the Nigerian military’s new public communication strategy as the major game-changer in the ongoing battle to minimise potential threats to national security and stability.
The new strategy has administratively collapsed all levels of disseminating information about military operations within and outside the country into one source code-named Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDM0).
The new move is being piloted by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) under the personal direction of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin who had drafted a former Director of Defence Information and now Director of Engineering and Technical Services in the DHQ, Maj Gen. John Enenche, as pioneer coordinator.
The Chief Media Strategist of the advocacy group, Mr. Emeka Nwankpa, in a statement he jointly issued in Abuja, Wednesday, with the Northern Regional Rapporteur, Kasim Baba Kasim, praised the CDS for his conviction and courage in streamlining the channels of communicating military operational activities across the country into one source.
He described the new strategy as a bold and calculated move to finally resolve the crisis of confidence which he said had often jeopardised many operational accomplishments of the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the ongoing war against insurgency, terrorism, crime and other forms of criminality in the country.
The group said that the new initiative came at a time the nation’s armed forces had started to record a new cycle of successes in its various strategic operations especially the counter-terrorism war in the face of new challenges arising from the life-threatening COVID-19.
‘’We applaud the tireless CDS, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin for brilliantly introducing this new strategic communication initiative that has gradually begun to positively change the dynamics of the various critical kinetic and non-kinetic engagements of our armed forces across the country thereby repositioning the military for enhanced effectiveness.
The group particularly commended President Muhammadu Buhari for demonstrating confidence in the ability of the service chiefs to deliver on their mandate, describing the initiative as a paradigm shift and watershed in the strategic communication agenda of the Armed Forces of Nigeria under the visionary leadership of the CDS.
‘’We are currently fighting terrorism and insurgency in the Northeast banditry; kidnapping and cattle rustling in the Northwest; banditry, herders/farmers’ clashes and communal clashes by some militias in the North Central-Benue, Nassarawa, Taraba; and banditry, communal clashes and herders/farmers’ conflicts on the Plateau.
‘’In the South-South, we have piracy, cultism, kidnapping, oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and other crimes, ritual killings while there are kidnapping, pipeline vandalism, etc, in the Southwest . These are rapidly-changing internal security challenges that are being successfully tackled by our forces. We need the maximum support of all Nigerians.’’
