The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, has emphasised the necessity for the military to cultivate trust with the media in its counter-terrorism efforts and security operations.
Ndace stressed the importance of facilitating swift media access to unclassified military information.
Speaking at a seminar organized by the Defence Correspondent Association of Nigeria (DECAN) at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja, Ndace, a former Defence Correspondent himself, underscored the value of media involvement in military planning and execution, highlighting its potential to enhance mutual understanding and trust.
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Acknowledging the evolving media landscape, particularly with the rise of digital platforms, Ndace urged the military to adopt a more cooperative approach with the media to provide clarity amid the abundance of uncensored information. He also addressed the historical challenges in the military-media relationship, dating back to Nigeria’s military era, attributing them to a lack of mutual trust.
Ndace urged both institutions to discharge their duties with a shared sense of patriotism, emphasizing that fostering positive relations between the military and the media is crucial for sustaining democracy, peace, and national security.
Identifying confidentiality, a lack of understanding of the defence sector, criteria for journalist assignments, and the need for training on military ethics as key factors affecting military-media relations, Ndace called for concerted efforts to address these issues and promote cooperation between the two entities.
