ABUJA – Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, on Tuesday in Abuja said the military needed the support of the populace to conduct any successful operations.
Abubakar, who spoke through the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen .Abdulraham Dambazau, said this at the Public Presentation of two books written by Maj-.Gen Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information.
The books’ titles are: “Issues in the Mobilisation of Public Support for Military Operation in Nigeria” , and “The Voice and Battles of the Nigerian Military”.
“To be able to conduct successful operation, you need the support of the populace, and so, you need to have somebody who will be able to explain to the public what is going on and I think that Gen. Olukolade played that role very well.
“It is very rare for an individual to produce two books at the same time, being an author myself, and I am highly impressed by the effort of the author.
“ You decided to put on record two important issues on military operations, particularly the kind of operations we are facing today, public support is very important.
“The second aspect has to do with public perception because there are two different things and there is where the role of the media comes in and Olukolade is a professional to the core and I am glad that the second book reflected that,” he said.
On his part, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Alhaji Ismalia Aliyu, said it was imperative that the military had full support of the civilian population.
Ismalia said the key to winning public support, especially in time of war or battle, was not through careless politicking, but by delivering battlefield victories to a watchful public.
He said the civilian populace was so hungry for military victories that they only cared to hear about wins and losses, “not taking in the deeper strategy or events of the war’’.
“Today, the public could follow the movements, successes and failures of their armies in the field due to new advancements in Mass Communication.
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“It is in this wise that the media are expected to be patriotic and professional in their performance.
“Some media function independently, sometimes without rules, regulations or even a code of conduct except for some that are self imposed.
“The newspapers, radio, Television and cable have a variety of interests of their own and set goals to be achieved, which directly or indirectly mould opinion of the public toward the military.
On his part, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gown, said he was proud to identify with the literary work of Olukolade and was confident that it would promote desired service of the Nigerian military to the nation.
Represented by Dr Austin Kemie, Gowon commended the way and manner Olukolade reported military and defence matters with truth and candour, devoid of falsehood and propaganda.
“That is the way it must follow, otherwise both the military and the public will be misinformed and put in danger,” he said.
The Guest speaker at the occasion, Prof. Jerry Gana said Nigerian leaders should ensure that security and welfare should be the primary purpose of government as the Constitution stipulated .
Author of the book, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said for many years the Nigerian public and their armed forces had lived under “mutual assured distrust; one viewing the other as potential enemy’’.
“But should that be the case, I really think that since we live in an age where both the people and the military force are threatened by one common enemy, there should then be a meeting point for the hearts and minds of the two groups in order that we might forge a formidable front against unprovoked aggressions.
“Then, I set myself the inconceivably difficult task of setting the records straight: spotlighting The Battles and Voice of the Military and to make a case against public apathy in military operations.
“And I came up with these humble books which are being presented to you today.
Olukolade said the books were an effort to offer an eye-opener to what the military stood for.
He hoped that in the books Nigerians would meet with their military at a rendezvous that could create the needed extenuating circumstances to reduce mutual distrust and disagreement. (NAN)
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