When COAS honours journalists

At  the grand finale of  the Nigerian Army Day celebration in Gusau, Zamfara State, last week, President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, presented the Chief of Army Staff Commendation award to 13 journalists covering the Defence beat, in recognition of their contribution to the fight against insurgency in the North east.  MUSA UMAR BOLOGI was there and gives the profiles of some of the recipients.

JIBRIN BABA NDACE:  is a former Defence correspondent with Blueprint newspapers.
Ndace, did not only reported military operations on counter-insurgency in the North east, he also featured on several programmes on television and radio, where he analysed issues bordering Defence and security to Nigeria.
He was among journalists in the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) entourage when his convoy was ambushed along the Maiduguri-Gamboru road, by the Boko Haram insurgents.

He has visited the front line on several occasions with the COAS, where the troops were waging war against the insurgents.
Ndace, who is currently serving as the Chief Press Secretary to the Niger Sate Governor, covered Defence beat for three years for Blueprint newspapers before joining the Niger State government.
Ndace has attended seminars and workshops on security reporting both within and outside the country.

JUDE ZOHO: a senior correspondent with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has covered beats including Defence, Health, Sports, Education, and Judiciary amongst others.
His second stint as a Defence correspondent has been one challenged with the coverage of the military’s operations against the Boko Haram insurgents.
In the past one year, Zoho’s assignments have taken him to different theatres of the military’s operations across the North east.
He has covered both the military’s pre-induction preparations, and was also embedded to cover real time combat operations in the front line. He was in the convoy of the Army chief that was ambushed in August 2016 at Dikwa, along the Maiduguri-Gamboru road.
Zoho has been to the front line on different occasions relaying the troops’ experience in the theatre to Nigerians.

He has also covered national and international security forums, and has attended several Defence seminars and workshops, some of which include a workshop on ECOWAS counter- terrorism strategy and implementation plan, the Centre for Crisis Communication seminar on conflict prevention in Nigeria.
MOHAMMAD ABDULKADIR: joined the service of the Nigeria Televisions Authority (NTA) 20 years ago. He is fully embedded with the Nigerian Army troops in the counter-terrorism fight in the North east.
From 2009 to date as Defence correspondent, Mohammad has plied his trade and reported from theater of combat donning the military attire.
He was at the frontline in Gambaru, and was with the Chief of Army Staff and witnessed the historic re-hoisting of the Nigerian flag and the victorious camp fire over the defeat of Boko Haram insurgents in Bama.

He also took the “victory walk” along the Chief of Army Staff and troops to Fotokol, Nigeria-Cameroon boarder, on friendly visit to the Cameroonian troops across the border bridge.
Abdulakadir has also witnessed and reported the liberation of communities hitherto captured by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states; and more importantly, in the burning of the terrorists flags in Bama, Baga, Marte, Kerenua, Konduga, Dikwa, Buni yadi, among others.
On land with the Nigerian Army and on air with the Nigerian Air Force, Abdulkadir could be described as a battle tested journalist, who beams war proceedings with his characteristic professional piece on camera.

MNGUSUUL BRENDA UJI:  has been a Defence correspondent with Africa Independent Television (AIT) for a relatively short while. However, her work and reportage of the war against terror especially, during this short period has been quite impressive.
She has been to the frontline combat zones of the North-East several times, including spending the night in Gamboru-Ngala, and visited to Bama, Kangarwa, Dikwa, Benishek, and Jakana.
She has also witnessed firsthand historic moments in North-East, such as the hoisting of Nigeria flag in Gamboru-Ngala, the launch of Operation “Gama-Aiki” against terrorists in Northern Borno, by the Nigerian Air Force; the induction of the Army Motorbike Battalion in Damboa; and the reopening of several closed routes, amongst other experiences.

Her reports from the frontlines bring to viewers the counter-insurgency operations, the experience of Nigerian troops, the devastation of terror, and the situation of displaced persons in vivid details.
Mngusuul has also featured on TV and Radio programmes to discuss her experience in the North-East, and analysed issues relating to Nigeria’s war against Boko haram.