Following continuous falsehood being propagated by Boko Haram terrorists, through the social media and uncomplimentary remarks from certain quarters about troops performance in the war on terror, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has declared that the Nigerian Army will not be stampeded to reacting to frivolous allegations.
He said the Nigerian Army will send out its own message but not as a direct reaction to propaganda of the insurgents, noting that the Army will adopt administrative approaches to handling mischievous reports rather than responding to every mischief.
The COAS spoke at Army headquarters when he received members of the National Defence College (NDC) Course 27 who presented a research paper on the topic “Psychological Operation and Operational Efficiency in the Nigerian Army: the Social Media in Perspective”
Reacting to some of the observations raised by the participants, the COAS said, ” We (Army) will take appropriate steps to improve our psychological operations in the war against terrorism.
He said that following the negative impact of the social media and some traditional media reportage which boosted the terrorists’ activities of Boko Haram between 2014 and 2015, the Nigerian Army embarked on various measures and strategies including equipping Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps NAIC and establishing the Nigerian Army Cyber Command.
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“When we came on board, we opened the channels of communication with embedded media. We were able to break the jinx of invisibility of Boko Haram. We had engagement with civil society groups, Hunan rights groups.
Furthermore the COAS said the department of Army intelligence will be supported to drive the psychological operations while the directorate of civil military affairs and Army Public Relations will work in synergy for result oriented approach.
The COAS then tasked the next set of the participants to take a queue from course 27 and work on the topic, ” Development: Prospects and Challenges for Nigeria – 2030″.
The topic according to Buratai was informed by failed prophesy of doom which in 2015 said Nigeria will break up in 2015 and another one that has come out stating that Nigeria is likely to break up by 2030.
Speaking during the paper presentation, a representative of the participants, Col Thompson Ughiagbe said the research was aimed at identifying the gaps in the fight against insurgency covering from year 2009 to June 2019.
Disclosing that Boko Haram through irregular threats have resorted to the use of social media to win sympathy, he said the Army was yet to fully exploit the potentials of social media adding that as a result, the negative public perception and image of Nigerian Army has given the insurgents an advantage.
He therefore recommended that the Army should formulate a social media policy and establish a social media unit that will constantly interface with the audience.
Contributing during the presentation, the Chief of Policy and Plans AHQ Lt General Lamidi Adeosun said psychological operations is a national issue which is beyond service hence, should be fronted by the federal government.
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