ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigeria’s Armed Forces to extend the same support and loyalty given him to the incoming administration led by President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.
He has also commended their sacrifices to the nation including paying the supreme price, noting that the resilience and doggedness of the nation’s armed forces in the face of daunting security challenges in the country is responsible for the successes recorded so far.
Jonathan said this at the commissioning of the Armed Forces Radio Staation, at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja.
The President, who acknowledged that lack of equipment had before now hampered the operations of the military in the face of daunting security challenges, added that recent purchases and support have changed the tide against the activities of terrorist sect, Boko Haram.
Jonathan again decried the constant criticism of the armed forces, saying if they were not working as claimed by critics, many Nigerians would not sleep with their eyes closed.
He said, “Let me again acknowledge the resilience and doggedness of our armed forces in the face of daunting security challenges in the country and the successes they have recorded so far.
“While it is a fact that previous neglect of the military in terms of hardware acquisition and relevant training have compounded the security infrastructure and affected the precision of military response to these challenges, however recent purchases and support have reasonably changed the tide. These have indeed reversed the trend allowing for effective governance, peace and security in areas hitherto held by terrorists and other misguided elements.
“At this point, our collective thoughts and prayers must go to those who have paid the supreme sacrifice so that peace and security of the loved ones they have left behind can be assured. We must honour their memory, their sacrifice must not be in vain.
“I commend also the exemplary partnership between the armed forces and other government agencies on special occasions especially at the recently concluded elections, this is in line with the patriotic efforts and unalloyed support which this administration has enjoyed from the armed forces throughout my tenure.
“As President and Commander in Chief, I’m very proud of you all and grateful to your constituency for your loyal service to our nation.
“As this administration draws to a close, I charge you all to extend your loyalty and support you have given me to the incoming administration and even be more committed in protecting the lives and properties of Nigeria.
“This ceremony is a very special one and of course we know the importance of communication and indeed the Nigerian Armed Forces need a means to communicate their activities to the wider society.
“I recall at times some people will come to me and say Nigerians do not know what the military is doing, are they covering up? And sometimes other nations bring in foreign media to cover their operations and things are exaggerated as if they are even working harder than us.
“So today that you are launching your radio station will be a turning point, some of your operations will be properly covered and Nigerians will know. If they know what you are doing and what you are passing through they will remain grateful.
“And I use this opportunity to call on all Nigerians both our senior citizens and our ordinary citizens to appreciate the commitment and the sacrifices of our armed forces. We wouldn’t have been sleeping if these people were not working. I always feel a bit worried and at times angry when I read in the papers comments about our armed forces and the police. Ours is a society that sometimes don’t appreciate the commitment of individuals, suffering of individuals. These people fight and some times pay the supreme price, leaving widows and children as orphans. Instead of commending and encouraging them, we criticise.
“Yes as a society we must criticise especially when it has to do with the services of the security personnel but every society respects members of their security team and as a nation if we must encourage them to do better, first and foremost we have to encourage them, not to criticise them.
“So I’m pleased you are commissioning a radio station and I believe quiet sincerely especially with the infrastructure put in place that this country will be properly covered and it will help enhance the operations of armed forces to be able to inform Nigerians and enable them to appreciate the armed forces more”.
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In his remarks earlier, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, said the motivation for the establishment of the Armed Forces Radio Station was born out of the increasing importance of the role of the media in military operations as well as recent experiences of the Nigerian Military in the war against terrorists in the north-eastern part of the country.
He described as unfair and irresponsible reportage of events in the north-east where terrorist acts are celebrated more than anything else, thereby undermining the cohesiveness of the military.
He expressed sadness that misinformation and falsehood in reporting ongoing operations particularly against terrorists in the north-east has not only dampened the morale of troops and compromised their will to fight, it has emboldened the terrorists to be more daring in their atrocities.
Badeh said the barrage of negative propaganda against the Nigerian military by certain foreign media outfits and their local collaborators was the reason behind the radio station which would present a fairly accurate account of activities of the Nigerian military to Nigerians and the military community in particular.
He said, “The media as the watchdog of the society plays a very important role in shaping public opinion for or against any activity of government and its agencies including the conduct of military operations. When employed positively, the media acts as a force multiplier of on-going military operations.
“Objective media coverage of military operations not only encourages public awareness and support for the military during operations; it has the added benefit of keeping the families of service men abreast of activities of troops no matter where they are deployed
This is invaluable in maintaining the morale of troops.
“Therefore a balanced and objective reportage of the military helps to shape public perception of the military as a highly professional and patriotic organisation which deserves the encouragement and the support of all citizens.
“On the other hand, negative coverage of military operations have the potential of dampening the morale of fighting forces as well as turn public opinion against the military and the war efforts.
“This unfortunately has been the experience of the Nigerian military as it battles to rid the country of terrorists and other criminal elements.
“The use of misinformation and outright falsehood in reporting ongoing operations particularly against terrorists in the North East has not only dampened the morale of troops and compromised their will to fight, it has emboldened the terrorists to be more daring in their atrocities.
“The unfair and irresponsible reportage of events in the north-east where terrorist acts are celebrated more than anything else undermine the cohesiveness of the military.
At a point morale was so low that most troops lost the will to fight. Acts of cowardice by troops who fled from battle based on fabricated reasons were celebrated as virtue by certain media organisations.
“It got so bad that troops began to question why they would lay down their lives for a country and citizens that don’t appreciate their sacrifices.
“False information about the so-called exploits of foreign troops which were largely inaccurate were fed to the Nigerian public in order to undermine the professionalism of our own troops.
“Sadly, even highly placed persons in the society, including retired officers who should understand the challenges and intricacies of asymmetric warfare against enemies that are embedded in society got sucked in by this propaganda.
“The barrage of negative propaganda against the Nigerian military by certain foreign media outfits and their local collaborators brought to the fore the need to have an outfit through which a fairly accurate account of activities of the Nigerian military could be disseminated to the generality of our populace in general and the military community in particular.
“It is therefore the need to present a more accurate account of the activities of the military as well as the medium for the relaxation and entertainment of our men and women in uniform that this radio station was conceived and established.
“The radio station with headquarters in Abuja is planned to have transmitting stations that will cover all military installations and the entire nation.
“In the first stage of development however, the radio station will operate from Abuja and Kano with plans to extend to other states of the federation in the foreseeable future”.
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